The Trump administration reversed course and said it is restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the U.S. whose legal status abruptly terminated, setting off a scramble among students who feared being deported immediately.
The Justice Department announced the decision in a filing on April 25 in U.S. district court in Massachusetts, where a lawsuit had been filed in response to the terminations.
Five Binghamton University international students were among those who had their visas revoked.
On April 28, Binghamton University Senior Director of Media and Public Relations Ryan Yarosh said all five students had their status reverted, and will be able to remain in Binghamton to continue their studies.
“The University remains committed to actively monitoring this evolving situation daily,” Yarosh said. “Our International Student and Scholar Services team will continue to provide personalized outreach and guidance to students impacted by changes to their status.”
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Universities have reported some students being forced to leave immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System or via an unexpected text or email.
Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students and students rely on it for their authorization to remain in the country. The terminations sparked more than 100 lawsuits. NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, has tallied roughly 1,400 revocations.
Mark Sauter, an assistant U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, submitted a document that said Immigration and Customs Enforcement was developing a policy to terminate SEVIS records. But the registrations will remain active or be reactivated until that system is developed.
Chief U.S. Judge Dennis Saylor set another hearing in the Massachusetts case for May 6.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Student visas termination reversed: What it means for NY students