Over 200 International Students Sue the Trump Administration

More than 200 international students have sued the Trump administration after their student visa status was canceled without warning in early 2025, court filings show. The cases claim the Department of Homeland Security acted without proper notice or a fair chance to respond, leaving students at risk of deportation and unable to study or work while they wait for answers. Federal judges have stepped in, issuing emergency orders that block removals and require the government to restore many SEVIS records while the lawsuits move forward.

At the center of the legal fight is the Trump administration’s “Student Criminal Alien Initiative,” a sweep in early April 2025 that led to the termination of more than 4,700 SEVIS records nationwide. Plaintiffs say this was a blanket action that lumped together students with minor, old, or resolved issues—such as traffic tickets or noise complaints—and treated them like threats with no proof. Judges in several states have agreed the approach went too far.

In one ruling, Judge Jeffrey White in the Northern District of California said the policy caused “significant hardship” and called the government’s reasoning “unpersuasive and unsupported,” according to court records.

Policy actions under challenge

The lawsuits, filed since March 2025 in federal courts from Missouri and Michigan to New Hampshire, Indiana, and California, argue that the government cut off status based on incomplete or misunderstood information.

• Plaintiffs come from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, Spain, China, India, and other countries, and were enrolled at a wide range of U.S. universities when their files were closed.
• Analysis by VisaVerge.com shows the action hit campuses unevenly, with some schools reporting dozens of cases in a single week.
• Students say they did not receive clear notice, a chance to explain their records, or any path to fix mistakes before their SEVIS files were terminated.

The complaints cite the Fifth Amendment (due process) and emphasize how quickly the government moved despite many students having no serious criminal history. The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have joined several cases, arguing the policy harmed students who followed the rules and relied on their schools to help maintain status.

DHS and ICE defend the checks as tied to criminal records or other status issues. Government lawyers have argued in court that terminating a SEVIS record is not the same as ending a person’s legal status. Multiple judges have rejected that view, finding that shutting down a SEVIS record has real legal effects under immigration rules and risks removal.

For official background on how student records are kept and updated, note that the government’s SEVIS program is run by ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Official guidance on how schools and students use SEVIS is available through ICE’s site at the exact link: https://www.ice.gov/sevis. This is the database schools use to issue and update student entries tied to F-1 and M-1 status, and it is the system the government used when the mass terminations occurred.

Court orders and what they mean

In response to the lawsuits, federal judges have issued temporary restraining orders and nationwide injunctions that block arrests, detentions, and deportations of affected students while cases proceed.

Key judicial actions include:
1. Ordering the government to restore thousands of SEVIS records tied to the sweeps under the Student Criminal Alien Initiative.
2. Barring ICE from using the terminated records to start removal cases while the court reviews the policy.
3. Scheduling hearings to determine whether the due process claims are likely to succeed and whether the injunctions should remain.

As of October 6, 2025, these protections remain in place.

Court filings describe the real-life cost of the terminations:
– Students lost on-campus and off-campus work authorization and had to stop research, leading to sudden income loss.
– Some students left the United States 🇺🇸 out of fear of detention during routine stops or ID checks.
– Others could not renew driver’s licenses, open bank accounts, or travel to see family because re-entry was uncertain.
– Universities reported stalled labs, canceled teaching sections, and budget hits tied to lost enrollment and tuition.

The cases vary by state:
– In Missouri, a group of students sought fast orders to halt removals while their status remained in limbo.
– In Michigan, plaintiffs sought emergency injunctions to stop terminations carried out without individualized review.
– In New Hampshire, a larger class action was filed; courts coordinated orders across districts to avoid inconsistent outcomes.

Nationwide, coordinated injunctions currently set the day-to-day rules while broader legal questions move toward possible summary judgment or trial.

Important: Courts have found that terminating a SEVIS record can have the same practical effect as ending legal status, and several judges have required the government to treat such terminations with caution.

Impact on campuses and students

SEVIS links directly to class enrollment, practical training, and work authorization. When a SEVIS record is cut off, students often:

• Lose the ability to register or remain full-time in classes.
• Lose optional practical training (OPT) or other work permission.
• Face risk that time in the U.S. becomes unlawful, which can create long-term bars if they depart and try to return.
• Encounter landlord and bank issues tied to legal presence.

Universities reported immediate operational problems:
– Research projects stalled because graduate students could not access labs after card access tied to status was disabled.
– Teaching sections were canceled when graduate instructors lost payroll access.
– Campus legal clinics and private lawyers were flooded with help requests.
– Student groups organized food and rent relief for classmates waiting on court orders.

Judges questioned the government’s crime-based rationale, noting many flagged students had only minor citations or closed cases. Several courts said the record did not support claims that these students posed a safety risk.

Even with some SEVIS records restored under injunctions, many students remain constrained:
– Travel is risky because re-entry can be denied if files are not active at the port of entry.
– Internships and co-op programs are often off-limits because payroll systems require active status.
– Families abroad have sent emergency funds to cover rent and food for students who lost jobs overnight.

University leaders fear the episode will chill applications for 2026 admissions. Many schools have joined or supported the lawsuits, arguing the mass terminations harmed both mission and finances. International offices say they could not resolve the problem independently because it originated in government data and policy, not school mistakes.

Legal stakes and next steps

Plaintiffs frame the due process claim simply: the government took a step with the same effect as ending legal status without proper notice or opportunity to respond, and it applied the policy broadly rather than weighing facts case-by-case.

Courts are watching two key outcomes:
– Whether the injunctions will hold.
– Whether final orders will require the government to review each case with proper notice and an opportunity to correct errors.

Possible consequences:
– If courts side with plaintiffs, the government could be ordered to keep SEVIS records active unless and until it provides clear notice and a fair hearing.
– If the government prevails and injunctions are lifted, hundreds or thousands could again face arrest and removal.

For now, protective orders remain in place. Attorneys advise affected students to:
– Keep copies of court orders with them.
– Print recent SEVIS entries from their school portals.
– Work closely with campus international offices to confirm class loads and reporting.
– Coordinate with their school before attempting to return to the U.S. if they left the country, since a restored record must be live for port-of-entry admission.

President Trump has not issued a new public statement about the pending cases. DHS and ICE say they will follow the injunctions while defending the policy. Advocacy groups and campus leaders continue to call for a fix that restores stability for international students and creates a clear, fair process for status review.

The final outcome will hinge on ongoing rulings and possible policy shifts. Until then, the courts’ orders stand: no arrests, no detentions, no deportations of the students covered by the injunctions, and restored SEVIS records for many whose files were shut down during the Student Criminal Alien Initiative.