Trump U-Turn on Student Visa Terminations Amid Legal Pushback

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Trump Administration Reverses Student Visa Terminations Amid Legal Pushback

By TRH News Desk

New Delhi, April 25, 2025: The Trump administration has reversed the abrupt termination of thousands of foreign students’ US visa registrations, the Justice Department announced in federal court on Friday.

The decision follows weeks of intense scrutiny from courts and dozens of restraining orders issued by judges who deemed the mass cancellations “flagrantly illegal”, according to reports from Politico.

The reversal targets students on F-1 visas whose legal status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) was terminated based on minor or dismissed legal infractions, such as traffic violations or misdemeanour charges.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is developing a new policy for handling such cases, and no SEVIS records will be terminated solely on criminal history checks until the policy is finalized.

The move comes after significant legal challenges, with at least 65 lawsuits filed by affected students and 35 securing temporary orders to remain in the US. Posts on X reflected public sentiment, with users citing pressure from “Big Business” and legal losses as key factors in the reversal.

However, it remains unclear whether the State Department will also reverse the outright cancellation of visas, as a federal official noted ongoing “quality control” on those decisions.

The initial crackdown, which began in March 2025, affected over 1,800 students across more than 280 colleges, including Harvard, Stanford, and the University of California system.

While early terminations targeted pro-Palestinian activists, later actions per multiple reports swept up students for minor infractions, sparking accusations of overreach and xenophobia.

The policy shift marks a significant retreat for the administration, which had vowed to curb immigration and campus activism.

University leaders welcomed the reversal but urged clarity on future policies. “This restores some stability for our students, but we need transparent guidelines,” said a University of Michigan spokesperson.

The administration’s next steps remain under watch as legal battles and public pressure continue to shape its immigration agenda.

A number of Indian students also faced the issue of visa cancellations. Also, the Trump administration has also riled up campus politics in the US varsities by deporting foreign students caught in protests. Reports also said that the visa applications were also being denied for anti-Trump views held by applicants per reports.

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