District Court Judge Victoria Calvert has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate 133 international students' F-1 visas after ICE and DHS terminated their legal status without notice. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)
The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU and other groups in the Northern District of Georgia with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons listed as defendants in the case.
The Department of Justice responses to the lawsuit are currently sealed in the court docket.
The plaintiffs argue that the SERVIS terminations were used as a coercive tool rather than a lawful enforcement action and that many of the students have no criminal records and were given short notice to leave the U.S. despite maintaining valid student visas.
Furthermore, several of the students are enrolled in STEM programs or work placements, suggesting they are high-achieving international students.
"DHS's act of unlawfully terminating SEVIS records appears to be designed to coerce students, including each plaintiff, into abandoning their studies and ‘self-deporting’ despite not violating their status," the plaintiffs wrote.
A federal judge stepped in after ICE and Homeland Security terminated students' visas. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"The Constitution protects everyone on American soil, so the Trump administration cannot ignore due process to unjustifiably threaten students with the loss of immigration status, and arrest and deportation," Friedlin said in a statement.
READ THE ORDER BELOW. APP USERS, CLICK HERE.
"We believe this ruling shows the students are likely to prevail on their claims and we are pleased the court ordered the government to halt its unlawful actions while the lawsuit continues."
The case will now be heard for a preliminary injunction, potentially offering longer-term relief, on Thursday, April 24.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-orders-ice-reinstate-legal-status-133-foreign-students