Carl Malden, a sophomore at Harvard University in Vienna, said he was not relieved when he learned that the Trump administration had suddenly recovered the ability of thousands of international students to study legally in the United States.
Ultimately, immigration officers argue that students can still end their legal status in the face of legal challenges, and the administration characterizes the issue as only a temporary reprieve.
“They shouldn't seduce us that the administration will stop harassing us,” Malden said. “They try to find other ways.”
Malden isn't just worried.
The dramatic shift from the administration on Friday comes after numerous international students filed lawsuits saying that their legal right to study in the United States was often withdrawn with minimal explanations. In some cases, students had mild traffic or other violations. In others, there seemed no obvious reason for disappointment.
After learning that immigration and customs enforcement agencies had deleted records from the student and exchange visitor information system, or Sevis, many students sued to save their position. It prompted a surge in emergency orders by judges who blocked changes.
Students and their immigration lawyers said on Saturday that they were relieved for the temporary reprieve, but emphasized that it was just that – temporary.
Their sense of uncertainty was rooted in what Justice Department lawyer Joseph F. Kariri told a federal judge on Friday. Kariri said immigration officers have started a new system of effort to review and close records of international students and academics studying in the United States. He said that until the process is complete, along with the student's legal status, the records of students who were expelled from the federal database in recent weeks will be restored.
“It's a band-aid, but I haven't had a successful operation yet,” said Clay Greenberg, a New York immigration lawyer who represents several affected students. “The question now is: Well, what will happen to the new policy?”
In the meantime, students remained the same anxiety as before. This began when the administration moved to cancel more than 1,500 student visas in recent weeks.
Kevin Chang, a junior law student at Columbia University who is originally from China, said all Chinese students he knows are worried about their visa status. People in the Chinese community on campus often exchange information about US and China's policies and added that they are trying to determine how this will affect them.
“It's an era of extremely unstable and turbulent,” said Chang, 30.
Leo Gelden, 22, a Swedish senior at Harvard University, explained the Trump administration's decision to overturn the cancellation of an international student visa as “great news,” but said the federal government is requesting Harvard to hand over detailed information about the student organization.
Gelden, a researcher in economics and political science, leads a meeting on Harvard University's campus to protest the administration's efforts to target international students. Now, because of the activity, Gelden said he was afraid of being a target.
“I accepted that being there at the start is no longer a guarantee,” he said. “I'm definitely worried, but I think that's a risk I've accepted because I think that what we're fighting here is far greater than anyone else.”
Recently, Gelden's high school guidance counselor asked him for advice as several Swedish students were accepted by Notre Dame and Georgetown University, but he was now wary of moving to the US.
“The US has always been a top dream for a lot of people, especially for me,” he said. “The whole life of the university and all the opportunities that come with studying at the university here have led us to a very special position that we are currently being removed.”
Evan Sulpizio Estrada, 20, a sophomore at Tufts University from San Diego, said his friend, who was an international student, had expressed fear over their situation in recent weeks.
After Rumeysa Ozturk's arrest, Tufts Ph.D. Turkish students, many international students at the school, stopped attending classes and eating in the cafeteria because they were afraid of being arrested. Still, he did his best to continue his normal college life, many of them.
Louis Yang, 18-year-old from Beijing in Tufts, said that while some of his friends had expressed concerns about the visa revocation, he made politics less distracted from scholars.
“I'm not that worried about that,” Yang said.
Immigration attorney Greenberg said he believes the situation exemplifies “unpredictability and confusion” that comes from the Trump administration.
Greenberg said similar questions from international students have continued to be flooded in recent weeks.
