Over 570 campus leaders, as well as several impacted international students, have filed a lawsuit in a US district court ( district of Massachusetts ) on Thursday to challenge the Department of Homeland Security’s ( DHS) unlawful mass termination of SEVIS records for F-1 students and participants in the Optional Practical Training ( OPT ) program.
The lawsuit problem contends that DHS’s extensive terminations are contrary to the Fifth Amendment’s due process protections and have no basis in national regulation. Without any prior notice, without explanation, or opportunity to respond, thousands of foreign students were denied cover, employment, and access to education only weeks before graduation or employment. Additionally, the plan impairs member institutions ‘ ability to attract, retain, and successfully serve international individuals.
The attorneys Green &, Spiegel, and the National Immigration Project represent the Presidents ‘ Alliance and some impacted international students, including named plaintiffs from representative organizations like Boston University and MIT.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program ( SEVP ) of the United States ( ICE ) is a government database that is used to track and monitor student status. An effective SEVIS document serves as a mechanism by which the government determines whether an international student is still a valid student. A student’s ability to work or take part in Optional Practical Training ( OPT ) or Curricular Practical Training ( CPT ) is terminated by the SEVIS record, which has a number of other connotations. Without, among other things, access to on-campus job, CPT or OPT, or, in some cases, the ability to receive state recognition or drivers licenses, foreign students are unable to continue earning their degrees. They are also susceptible to treatment, confinement, and arrest.
The Presidents ‘ Alliance asks the jury to:
- Declare the action illegal and immoral.
- Eliminate all poor SEVIS pregnancies.
- Protect DHS from future pregnancies affecting students from Presidents ‘ Alliance representative institutions,
- Order instant reactivation of SEVIS information for those who have previously been harmed, and
- Be the plan while the situation is being heard.
The foreign pupils have filed the lawsuit in a fictitious manner. A plaintiff is one of the defendants.
Student scholar at Boston University pursuing a Master of Science in STEM with a May 2025 completion date in mind. He recently received a B. S. in electrical engineering from Boston University, where he now resides in Massachusetts. He has been diligently preparing to start his professional career in the US as an international student who is ready for up to three years of STEM OPT. His upcoming was immediately threatened when he learned that his SEVIS report had been terminated based on unknown criminal record findings, despite having only small traffic offenses. Another foreign student just received his Master’s degree in economic mathematics from Boston University in January 2024. When he was immediately informed on April 3, 2025 that his SEVIS history had been terminated as a result of an alleged legal documents check and/or card withdrawal, he was working full-time under STEM OPT approval. He was forced to leave his job because he had no legal past and no contacts with the police, and he has since lost the opportunity to go back to his workplace.
We will go to court to defend the rights of foreign students and help our member organizations ‘ ability to properly engage, resale, and help them. The fundamental tenet of higher education is the unlawful dismissal of student information without due process. Colleges and universities encourage international talent, which fosters innovation, study, and workforce development. However, when students ‘ prospects are derailed without justification or when fear and uncertainty undermine our ability to compete and grow globally, they can’t do that. These actions, according to Miriam Feldblum, President and CEO of the Presidents ‘ Alliance, prevent potential international students from enrolling in our country and prevent campus officials from carrying out their jobs.
International students are launching innovative businesses that boost national security and gas our economic power, according to Louis Caldera, president of the Presidents ‘ Alliance and past president of the University of New Mexico. However, when students experience unexpected, illogical changes in their position, that development is at risk. When fear and uncertainty hinder best talent and institutions are unable to support the pretty students who will shape America’s future, our colleges and universities cannot continue to be global leaders in innovation.
The sudden decision to terminate thousands of international students ‘ SEVIS data without any legal basis is unprecedented, according to Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director of the National Immigration Project. The majority of these international students are present without strong families or other support systems, and most of them lack a thorough understanding of the specifics of how immigration laws operate. In light of this, the terminations are yet another example of laws that defy both legal requirements and common decency and are not only illegal, but they are also violent. The National Immigration Project is proud to work alongside the Presidents ‘ Alliance and to campaign for the repeal of this coverage among students across the nation.
