The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of six international students from Rutgers University whose student status was effectively terminated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit challenges the actions taken by the Trump administration, arguing that the sudden revocation of the students' immigration records and F-1 student status violates both legal statutes and constitutional rights.
The filing seeks an immediate injunction to restore the students' immigration records and protect them from arrest, detention, or deportation while the case progresses. The students are also represented by the Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project and attorneys from the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest and Constitutional Law at Gibbons P.C. The case has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
ACLU-NJ Legal Director Jeanne LoCicero commented, “The Trump administration has been unlawfully targeting international students across the country in a concerted effort to chill academic freedom and undermine the next generation of leaders. Attacking this group of Rutgers students is clearly part of larger attempts to intimidate and terrorize immigrant communities. Our clients, like the hundreds of students across the country experiencing harm from ICE’s actions, are now at risk of arrest, detention, and deportation. They are entitled to fairness and due process of the law.”
The group of students includes five international individuals and one recent graduate. These students, who are in good standing with the university, have been participating in academic and training programs. The lawsuit claims that ICE's termination of their records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is groundless and harms students who have worked diligently towards their educational and professional goals.
Jessica Rofé, Director of the Constitutional Rights Clinic and Assistant Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School, noted, “Students from around the globe attend Rutgers University, making it their academic home and becoming part of the fabric of our University and New Jersey communities. The abrupt termination of their SEVIS records and status without meaningful process or justification in an attempt to coerce them to hastily depart upends their academic and career trajectories, disrupts our communities, and is an affront to due process.”
The lawsuit contends that the summary termination of the students’ immigration status, without due notice or opportunity to respond, infringes on their Fifth Amendment rights. Reports indicate that over 1,700 international students nationwide have faced similar terminations, suggesting that the Department of Homeland Security may have implemented a widescale policy affecting F-1 student visa holders.
The F-1 student status is an immigration classification for noncitizen students studying at institutions approved by the Department of Homeland Security.
