Five Idaho international students’ legal status restored after Trump administration shift

MOSCOW (IdahoEdNews.org) — Five Idaho international students, who had previously lost their student visas or supporting documents, had their legal status restored over the weekend, according to college and university officials.

The restorations are a result of a shift in the Trump administration’s approach to terminating students’ legal status, announced Friday amidst a wave of lawsuits, the New York Times reported. 

Four University of Idaho students, who previously had their visas revoked, have been returned to active status, said Jodi Walker, a university spokesperson. The university initially learned of its students’ revocations by monitoring the Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) website.

“Immigration status and academic status are not directly correlated ­– so the students were able to continue their education while their SEVIS records were terminated,” Walker said in an email Monday. “We continue to work with students to ensure they are best able to accomplish their educational goals.”

The College of Idaho had one student’s legal status revoked and then reinstated, said McKay Cunningham, the official who facilitates immigration regulations for student visa holders at the private liberal arts school in Caldwell.

The schools both previously declined to provide additional details on the students, citing privacy concerns.

During a Washington, D.C., court hearing Friday, the Trump administration characterized the restorations as a brief reprieve, the New York Times reported. 

Joseph F. Carilli, a Justice Department lawyer, told a federal judge that immigration officials started work on a new system for reviewing and terminating international student and academics records, according to the Times. Legal status was restored until the process could be completed.

Dozens of lawsuits across the country argued that eliminating the SEVIS records without notice was unconstitutional, according to Inside Higher Ed.

As of Friday, when the Trump administrations reversed course, more than 1,840 students and recent graduates from more than 280 colleges and universities reported SEVIS record changes. 

The restorations do not, Inside Higher Ed reported, relieve the anxiety of many international students. For others, who may have left the country, the restorations may have come too late.

This article was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on April 28, 2025.

Download the data

The post Five Idaho international students’ legal status restored after Trump administration shift appeared first on East Idaho News.