Topline
The Trump administration is reversing course on its termination of over 1,500 international student visas Friday, according to multiple outlets, making the decision after being slammed with lawsuits that challenged the abrupt cancellations.
The reversals were announced Friday. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Justice Department lawyers said in two different courts where the terminations were being challenged that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was restoring student visas terminated by the federal government in recent weeks, according to the Associated Press.
ICE is working on a new policy for the review and termination of student visas, the AP reported, citing a government statement provided to a lawyer who is representing a student in federal court.
Until the new policy is established, student visas will be left unaffected or restored if they were revoked by the government, impacting over 1,500 visas targeted by ICE, according to The New York Times.
The visa terminations resulted in over 100 lawsuits from international students, with more than 50 of the cases ruling against the Trump administration and ordering temporary reversals of the cancellations, Politico reported, noting dozens more judges appeared ready to rule in similar ways before Friday.
ICE did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
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Tangent
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student whose pending deportation has become a flashpoint, was detained without an arrest warrant last month and had his visa revoked over his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests last year. It is unclear if the Justice Department’s reversal of visa terminations has any bearing on Khalil’s case. Khalil’s lawyer did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Key Background
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in March the federal government had revoked at least 300 visas belonging to foreign students, telling reporters, “We do it every day, every time I find one of these lunatics.” In addition to the federal government being able to revoke green cards if someone has been convicted of certain crimes or engaged in terrorist activity, the secretary of state can order someone deported if they tell Congress the person of interest “compromise[s] a compelling United States foreign policy interest.” Rubio justified the revocations over some international students’ involvement in pro-Palestinian protests, which rocked dozens of universities last year and has been scrutinized by the Trump administration as being anti-semitic. Some of the students with revoked visas face criminal charges, while others have minor infractions, such as traffic violations, on their records, according to the Associated Press, which noted many of the lawsuits against the government argued the impacted students were not provided due process. In some cases of visa termination, such as Khalil’s, there did not appear to be obvious reasons for revocation. Khalil, who has not been accused of criminal conduct or charged with a crime, is still fighting his deportation from the U.S. and the legality of his detainment, which took place at Columbia over a month ago.
Further Reading
Immigration Judge Says Trump Administration Can Deport Columbia Student Mahmoud Khalil (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2025/04/25/trump-doj-backs-down-on-international-student-visas-1500-will-be-restored/