A federal judge has issued a nationwide injunction halting the Trump administration’s attempts to terminate the legal status of thousands of international students studying and working in the United States.
The ruling, handed down Thursday, May, 22, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White of the Northern District of California, found that the administration’s actions under the so-called Student Criminal Alien Initiative were “arbitrary and capricious” and caused “irreparable harm” to affected students.
“This injunction provides a measure of stability and certainty,” Judge White wrote, noting that international students are still in limbo despite temporary reinstatements of their SEVIS records.
The case stems from the Trump administration’s abrupt termination of at least 6,400 SEVIS records between April 7 and April 22, targeting F-1 visa holders based on vague and unofficial grounds including failure to maintain status, unspecified criminal checks, or visa revocation. Importantly, none of these grounds are recognized under official SEVP regulations as valid reasons for terminating student records.
SEVIS—the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System—is operated by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It tracks foreign students in the U.S. and is distinct from the actual visa a student holds.
Judge White stated that these terminations were not only unauthorized, but also part of a “uniform policy that uniformly wreaked havoc,” with no compelling national security justification.
The preliminary injunction applies nationwide, a critical distinction that ensures protection for F-1 visa holders across all U.S. states, not just those who filed suit in California. Plaintiffs in the case are international students from multiple regions who filed legal complaints after experiencing unexpected terminations.
The decision also cited recent, controversial moves by the administration, including the revocation of Harvard University’s SEVP certification, an attempt to prevent international student enrollment and force current students to “transfer or lose their legal status.” That revocation has also been temporarily blocked by another federal judge.
With the case still pending, Judge White scheduled a case management conference for August 1, signaling that further legal challenges and policy scrutiny may lie ahead.
This is the first case involving SEVIS terminations where nationwide relief has been granted, setting a precedent for other legal actions by international students and educational institutions affected by evolving immigration policies.
