അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളുടെ നിയമപരമായ പദവി എടുത്തുകളയാനുള്ള ട്രംപ് ഭരണകൂടത്തിന്റെ നീക്കം താൽക്കാലികമായി നിർത്തിവച്ചു കോടതി ഉത്തരവിട്ടു. ഇതിനെ തുടർന്ന് വിദ്യാർത്ഥി വിസകൾ പുനഃസ്ഥാപിച്ചു, അവരിൽ പലരും ഇന്ത്യൻ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളാണ്.

ജോർജിയയിലെ വടക്കൻ ഡിസ്ട്രിക്ടിനായുള്ള യുഎസ് ഡിസ്ട്രിക്ട് കോടതിയിലെ ജഡ്ജി വിക്ടോറിയ എം. കാൽവെർട്ടിന്റെ വിധി ഈ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്കെതിരായ നാടുകടത്തൽ നടപടികൾ തുടരുന്നതിൽ നിന്ന് ഇമിഗ്രേഷൻ ആൻഡ് കസ്റ്റംസ് എൻഫോഴ്‌സ്‌മെന്റ് (ഐസിഇ) തടഞ്ഞു.

അമേരിക്കൻ ഇമിഗ്രേഷൻ ലോയേഴ്‌സ് അസോസിയേഷന്റെ (എഐഎൽഎ) ഡാറ്റ അനുസരിച്ച്, ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതൽ ബാധിച്ചത് ഇന്ത്യൻ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളെയാണ്. എഐഎൽഎ അവലോകനം ചെയ്ത 327 വിസ റദ്ദാക്കൽ കേസുകളിൽ ഏകദേശം 50% ഇന്ത്യൻ പൗരന്മാരാണ്. ഈ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളിൽ ഭൂരിഭാഗവും എഫ്1 വിസയിലായിരുന്നു, പലരും ഓപ്ഷണൽ പ്രാക്ടിക്കൽ ട്രെയിനിംഗ് (ഒപിടി) പ്രോഗ്രാമിൽ പങ്കെടുത്തു . എച്ച്1ബി വർക്ക് വിസകളിലേക്കുള്ള ചവിട്ടുപടിയായി STEM മേഖലകളിലെ ബിരുദധാരികൾ പലപ്പോഴും ഉപയോഗിക്കുന്ന താൽക്കാലിക തൊഴിൽ അംഗീകാര പാത. ഒപിടി സ്റ്റാറ്റസ് നഷ്ടപ്പെടുന്നത് അവർക്ക് യുഎസിൽ തൊഴിൽ നേടാൻ കഴിയില്ല എന്നാണ് അർത്ഥമാക്കുന്നത്.

ജോർജിയയിലെ ACLU ഫയൽ ചെയ്ത കേസിൽ, വിസ ലംഘനങ്ങളൊന്നും നടത്തിയിട്ടില്ലെങ്കിലും, ‘ഓരോ വാദിയും ഉൾപ്പെടെ വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളെ പഠനം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കാനും ‘സ്വയം നാടുകടത്താനും’ നിർബന്ധിക്കാനുള്ള’ ശ്രമമായാണ് റദ്ദാക്കലുകളെ വിശേഷിപ്പിച്ചത്. വാദികളുടെ കൂട്ടത്തിൽ ബിരുദദാനത്തിന്റെ വക്കിലുള്ള വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളോ നിയമപരമായ, അംഗീകൃത ജോലിയിൽ പങ്കെടുക്കുന്നവരോ ഉൾപ്പെടുന്നു. ‘ജെയ്ൻ ഡോ #12’ ഉൾപ്പെട്ടതുപോലുള്ള ചില കേസുകളിൽ, വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്ക് ക്രിമിനൽ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അച്ചടക്ക രേഖകൾ ഒന്നും തന്നെ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നില്ല.

അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്കെതിരായ രാഷ്ട്രീയ പ്രേരിതമായ അടിച്ചമർത്തൽ എന്ന് വിളിക്കുന്നതിനെ കേസ് ചോദ്യം ചെയ്തു. ‘അമേരിക്കൻ മണ്ണിലുള്ള എല്ലാവരെയും ഭരണഘടന സംരക്ഷിക്കുന്നു,’ ജോർജിയയിലെ ACLUവിലെ സീനിയർ സ്റ്റാഫ് അറ്റോർണി അകിവ ഫ്രീഡ്‌ലിൻ പറഞ്ഞു. ‘ഇമിഗ്രേഷൻ സ്റ്റാറ്റസ് നഷ്ടപ്പെടുത്തുമെന്നും അറസ്റ്റ് ചെയ്ത് നാടുകടത്തുമെന്നും വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളെ അന്യായമായി ഭീഷണിപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതിന് ട്രംപ് ഭരണകൂടത്തിന് ന്യായമായ നടപടിക്രമങ്ങൾ അവഗണിക്കാൻ കഴിയില്ല.’
Sources:azchavattomonline.com

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The US government is restoring the legal status of hundreds of international students after a wave of lawsuits challenged the abrupt suspension of their visas.

The sudden policy reversal was announced during a court hearing in Oakland, California, which brought together eight lawsuits filed by international students who argued that the federal government had terminated their right to remain in the US without due process. Attorneys in those cases had asked the court to issue a nationwide injunction covering all students whose official records granting them legal status were terminated since 1 March, and were at risk of deportation.

On Friday, assistant US attorney Elizabeth D Kurlan said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) was developing a new policy to govern how records are terminated on the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (Sevis), a federal database used to track international students’ immigration status. A similar announcement was made in a court in Washington.

In recent weeks, numerous students received notifications that their records were terminated with little explanation, jeopardizing their legal right to remain in the US and sparking outrage and confusion. Some said they had their status revoked for infractions as minor as a speeding ticket.

“DSOs [designated school officials] certified to assist international students) around the country are freaking out because out of nowhere they’re starting to see Ice manipulating the Sevis system to terminate students’ records around the country,” plaintiffs’ attorney Brad Banias said in an earlier interview.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), once a Sevis record is deleted from the database, which is often called being “terminated”, a student immediately falls out of status and risks deportation or future visa denials unless they quickly depart the US or regain lawful status.

Until the new Ice policy is finalized, Sevis records for the plaintiffs and other students affected by similar terminations will remain active or be reactivated. On Thursday afternoon, students across the country began receiving official notices from their schools stating that their Sevis records had been unexpectedly reactivated.

The news has brought some relief but not a full resolution, with some students saying the change has already caused irreparable harm.

“They call it a ‘restoration’, but for those of us who lived through it, who’s accountable for what we lost?” said one California student, who asked to remain anonymous. She was in the US on an F-1 work authorization when her Sevis record was terminated in April, she suspects due to being fingerprinted when she received a driving ticket six years ago. Her employer fired her the next day after learning she could no longer legally work.

The judge ordered the government to submit an explanation of the policy and its legal impact by the end of Friday. All plaintiffs in the hearing were granted 14-day temporary restraining orders (TROs) shielding them from deportation or any adverse legal consequences.

Marc L Van Der Hout, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said he believes Ice’s new policy is a direct response to a recent order from the US district judge Jeffrey S White, who presided over Friday’s hearing in Oakland and had already granted TROs in some of the eight lawsuits.

“They’re trying to argue the court doesn’t need to act now – but they’re only doing this because of Judge White’s order, 1,000%.”

According to data collected by National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (Nafsa), more than 1,400 students have reported Sevis terminations so far this year, with about 40% of them from India and China.

Nationwide, more than 70 lawsuits have been filed in 21 states challenging Sevis terminations. In at least 45 cases, judges have granted temporary restraining orders, citing possible violations of the Administrative Procedure Act and due process protections.

Kurlan added that Ice retains the authority to terminate Sevis records for other reasons, such as a student failing to maintain lawful status or engaging in what it considers to be removable conduct.

Pam Johann, a lawyer for the US government, argued against the request for national relief in the Oakland courthouse on Friday, stating that the agency’s ongoing actions to restore Sevis records make such an order unnecessary. Government lawyers responded that Ice was already addressing the issue in real time and that a nationwide injunction would be an “extraordinary remedy”.

Judge White pushed back. “Seems like with this administration, it’s a new world order every single day,” he said. “I think the administration writ large has a tendency to do everything in this particular area on an ad hoc basis, and we have to now consider it.”

The plaintiffs’ attorney John Nicholas Sinodis said unresolved gaps in Sevis timelines could still put students at risk of deportation or future visa denials. Lasting harm had already been done, especially for those who filed for reinstatement or left the US believing their status had ended.

Following the news, plaintiff expressed a mix of relief and lingering anxiety. “I’m worried my record might still have a stain, and it could cause problems later with jobs, visas, or getting through immigration,” said one, who asked to stay anonymous due to concerns about retaliation.

According to court records, their status was terminated based on an arrest record on reported domestic violence two years ago that did not result in any charges.

Despite the uncertainty, they remain confident about the eventual outcome. “I believe we will win, because I know very clearly that I don’t deserve this.”

There is a lot at stake
The world’s most powerful man is using his office to punish journalistic organisations that won’t follow his orders or who report critically on his policies. Donald Trump’s actions against the press include bans, lawsuits and hand-picking his own pool of reporters.

But the global threat against the press is bigger than just Trump.

Economic and authoritarian forces around the globe are challenging journalists’ ability to report. An independent press, one that those in power can’t simply overrule, is crucial to democracy. Figures such as Trump and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán want to crush it through exclusion and influence.

The Guardian is a global news organisation that will stand up to attacks on the free press. We have no interest serving those with immense power or immense wealth.

We are owned by an independent trust devoted only to protecting and defending our journalism. That means we don’t have a billionaire owner dictating what our reporters can cover or what opinions our columnists can have, or shareholders demanding a quick return.

The global situation is shifting hour by hour, making this an extremely challenging moment. It will take brave, well-funded, committed, quality journalism to call out what is happening.

Our job is to make sure we do not get overwhelmed as Trump floods the zone. We must focus on the stories that will make the biggest impact on people’s lives, while holding the powerful to account. We’ll also continue to focus on the ideas people need to create a better world: a reason for hope.

As the writer and Guardian columnist Rebecca Solnit says: “authentic hope requires clarity … and imagination”.
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