Several Utah international students got their legal status reinstated

SALT LAKE CITY — After dozens of Utah international students had their legal statuses revoked without notice last month, the federal government has agreed to reinstate them. 

The college students either had an expired visa, which is not needed to remain in the country, or they were accused of some crime. NBC News also reported that some students who faced revocations had taken certain political stances or been involved in protests. 

Student legal statuses for some international students were revoked across the U.S. last month. In response to the revocations, a group of immigration attorneys filed a lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union. It argued that the federal government violated their fifth amendment due process rights. 

A map created by Inside Higher Ed showed the number of reported visa revocations by school. In Utah, it said students attending the University of Utah, Weber State University, Utah Valley University, Salt Lake Community College, Snow College, Southern Utah University, and Utah Tech University were impacted.  

Lawsuit filed on behalf of Utah international students

According to the lawsuit, several of the Utah international students only possessed traffic tickets or minor citations. 

Adam Crayk is one of the attorneys representing impacted Utah students. He said he was happy with the SEVIS reinstatements. 

“Myself and the other attorneys were all very happy this is the end result” Crayk said. “It’s really important to encourage international students to want to come here to let them know they are welcomed.”

Moving forward, Department of Homeland Security officials are planning to review each student on a case-by-case basis. Crayk said some of the students could face another revocation if they’ve been accused of a serious crime. 

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