The Trump administration announced on Friday that it would walk back the revocation of over 1800 student visas, reversing a months-long campaign that targeted international students for removal. These walk-backs include the restoration of Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records for three Cornell students.
This announcement comes amid widespread student visa revocations and terminations of over 1,840 SEVIS records from over 240 colleges and universities across the United States, according to an Inside Higher Ed tracker.
17 current and former Cornell students were among this number. The University revealed on April 16 that 17 SEVIS records were terminated by federal authorities, with at least four of the students reporting visa revocations.
Now, the Trump administration’s policy reversal could spell the reinstatement of SEVIS records for these affected students.
SEVIS records are a web-based system maintained by the Department of Homeland Security which tracks student visa status. When a SEVIS record is terminated based on a status violation, students lose their visa and must leave the country immediately or face penalty, including potential deportation.
In a statement to The Sun, Wendy Wolford, vice president of International Affairs, said that three of the nine current students with terminated SEVIS records have so far had their records reinstated, “ensuring their ability to continue their education in the U.S.”
The University also responded saying they “do not know” if any students have had their visas restored.
Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security Department spokeswoman, told the New York Times that “We have not reversed course on a single visa revocation. Instead, “What we did is restore SEVIS access for people who had not had their visa revoked.”
According to the NYT report, a new system of revocation and termination of visas is in the works. However, until this new system is created, all changes made to international students’ legal status from recent weeks will be restored.
In a statement made by ICE Headquarters, they explained that SEVIS records cannot be terminated based on data obtained from the National Crime Information Center until a new policy is issued which will “provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations.”
In their statement, the University spoke in favor of the Trump administration’s policy reversal.
“We appreciate the administration’s decision to reverse the SEVIS terminations and restore visas,” a Cornell spokesperson wrote.
As of April 10, the Cornell International Services Office reported they are "actively checking SEVIS records" to “provide support” to impacted individuals. Students were also recommended to seek legal advice “as quickly as possible” if their SEVIS status changes and provided local legal resources to contact.
Students across the nation have also been impacted by the Trump administration’s policies.
The statement from ICE Headquarters was given hours before ICE was scheduled to testify in a lawsuit where a Boston University student filed a restraining order preventing ICE from terminating her student visa.
Many students like her have won temporary court orders in the past weeks delaying their deportation. These wins for international students represent a shift in legislation after the Trump Administration began its crackdown on student visas earlier this month, affecting both graduate and undergraduate students.
The federal government did not provide institutions with an official statement or list of schools impacted — however Harvard, UC Berkeley and Stanford have all reported restorations of records since the update.
In their statement to the Sun, the University commented on their support of international students.
“We hope that international students will continue to seek out higher education in the United States, knowing that they will be accorded their legal rights and due process,” the University wrote.
Everett Chambala ’27 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at ewc49@cornell.edu.