A federal judge in New Jersey has issued a preliminary injunction for six international students from Rutgers University whose student status was terminated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The students are represented by the ACLU of New Jersey, 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 injunction mandates that the government restore the students' records to their original status before termination and provides due process protections by requiring at least 20 days' notice before any re-termination of records. Additionally, ICE is prohibited from imposing consequences related to its previous decision to terminate the students' records.
The legal action began on April 22 with a complaint and motion for a temporary restraining order. It argued that the abrupt termination of the students’ immigration records under the Trump administration violated legal and constitutional standards. Although their immigration records were reactivated after numerous cases were filed nationwide, harmful notations remained that could lead to serious legal issues if not removed.
Molly Linhorst, ACLU-NJ Staff Attorney, stated: "Our clients are valued members of their community whose lives have been upended because of ICE’s unlawful actions. We are grateful that the court recognized the harm they continue to suffer and put protections in place for the duration of their case."
Jason C. Hernandez, Esq., Managing Attorney of the Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project, added: "The government terminated our students’ SEVIS records unlawfully causing unreasonable and unwarranted personal and professional harm without notice or opportunity for meaningful redress."
