ATLANTA — International college students and alumni connected to universities in metro-Atlanta still fear deportation despite a Trump Administration decision that restores their student status.
This month, the Department of Homeland Security terminated their records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, SEVIS.
In effect, their student status was cancelled, impacting their right to study and work in the United States.
On Friday, DHS confirmed it is backing off in some cases. DHS did not elaborate on whether the decision was permanent or temporary.
It came one day after a federal judge in Atlanta temporarily blocked the government from altering the SEVIS records. Judges across the U.S. have made similar decisions.
More than 4,000 students and alumni nationwide were affected when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement altered the SEVIS records this month.
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Nineteen of them are connected to universities in metro-Atlanta, including Emory, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, and Kennesaw State.
An immigration attorney representing the students and alumni here, Danielle Claffey, said many still fear deportation.
“We’re not sure where this is going to go this coming week and thereafter,” Claffey said.
Attorneys think ICE targeted students and alumni whose names appeared in law enforcement records.
“Your standard typical traffic citations,” Claffey said.
She said the students are not completely safe until she’s certain the government’s decision is permanent, and the federal judge makes an official ruling on their lawsuit to reverse the SEVIS record terminations.
Even then, she said DHS could change policy that could impact student protections in the future.
“Not only do we have to be sure that this won’t happen again, but we also have to look at the damages,” Claffey said. “Being dropped from their classes, not being allowed to attend school. Many of them lost on current employment. They lost out on perspective, future employment. There are ramifications far and wide.”