International Students Targeted for Deportation

In March 2025 the federal government suddenly terminated the lawful status of thousands of international students who came to the United States on a visa to study at American universities. The government’s mass termination of status rendered these international students subject to immediate arrest and deportation, and caused headline-making chaos nationwide. Many international students voluntarily left the country due to uncertainty about their futures and their safety. The ACLU of Michigan and its co-counsel filed a lawsuit on behalf of four international students at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, alleging that the unexplained termination of their status was unlawful because it did not satisfy the regulatory requirements for terminating their status. At an emergency hearing, the government’s lawyer assured the court that the students were not immediately at risk of arrest or deportation, causing the court to conclude that a restraining order was not necessary. Shortly after the hearing, however, the parties reached a settlement that fully restored the students’ status and negated any negative consequences that the temporary termination might have had. (Deore v. Noem; ACLU Attorneys Ramis Wadood, Phil Mayor, Syeda Davidson, Bonsitu Kitaba-Gaviglio, Dan Korobkin; Cooperating Attorney Russell Abrutyn; Co-counsel Kevin Carlson of Pitt McGhee).