Federal judge in Ga. temporarily blocks visa revocations
ATLANTA, Ga. - A federal judge in Atlanta ruled that 133 international students can continue studying in the U.S. — for now.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Calvert issued a temporary restraining order that protects students from deportation. It also demands that government agencies like ICE and the Department of Homeland Security reinstate the students’ authorization in the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS), which is used to track nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors.
The order expires on May 2. Another hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The ruling comes after attorneys filed a complaint in the Northern District of Georgia division of the United States District Court, arguing that the students’ visas were illegally revoked. Of the 133 clients, 26 have ties to Georgia.
Attorney Charles Kuck, partner at the Sandy Springs-based Kuck Baxter firm, said many of his clients ran red lights or had unpaid tickets — none of which, he argues, are deportable offenses.
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Kuck added that none of them have felony convictions, and some have no criminal record at all.
“They’re not telling the students what they did that caused the termination of their registration for their student status,” he said during a news conference. “They’re simply saying, ‘You failed to maintain status.’”
Across the country, more than 1,000 international students and recent graduates have had their visas revoked as the Trump istration cracks down on immigration, according to CNN.
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