A federal judge in Georgia last week ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the visas of more than 130 international college students across the country, including a former Western Illinois University student.
The temporary restraining order issued by Georgia District Court Judge Victoria Calvert restores legal status to those students while litigation regarding the termination of their visas is resolved in federal court.
WLS-TV in Chicago reported the group of international students impacted by the order includes students from the University of Illinois and Western Illinois University.
Zach Messersmith, director of government and public relations at WIU, tells TSPR the reinstatement “was a private legal action that the university was not involved in.”
“The individual with the reinstated status is not a current WIU student,” Messersmith said.
The WIU administration previously told TSPR “a small number” of visas for its international students had been revoked.
In an April 10 statement, the administration said, “WIU supports our international students by providing information and resources, and any students with questions should contact the Center for Global Studies. The University is not able to provide any additional information in order to preserve student confidentiality and privacy.”
According to Inside Higher Ed, more than 1,500 students from more than 250 colleges and universities have had “sudden or unexpected changes” to their Student and Visitor Exchange Program status, which includes F-1 and J-1 visas.
The publication has identified nearly 30 lawsuits representing nearly 180 students asking federal courts to restore their visas and SEVIS status.
