Trump administration forced to reveal its ham-handed operation to terminate immigration records of thousands of students
Source: CNN
Trump administration forced to reveal its ham-handed operation to terminate immigration records of thousands of students
By Tierney Sneed, CNN
5 minute read
Published 3:21 PM EDT, Tue April 29, 2025
(CNN) — The Trump administration was forced to reveal new information Tuesday about its ham-handed and legally dubious operation to cancel the immigration records of thousands of international students that a federal judge described as a blatant due process violation that “concerned” and “troubled” her.
A Department of Homeland Security official who was deeply involved in the maneuver said in court that the administration had relied on the National Crime Information Center, a registry recording individuals’ interactions with law enforcement.
The approach meant that international students who had very minor run-ins with the law – including driving citations, misdemeanor charges that were ultimately dismissed, and arrests that never resulted in charges – were put in a legal limbo that prompted at least 100 of them to sue in recent weeks.
A team of 10 to 20 people were tasked with running the names of the 1.3 million international students through the database, Andre Watson, a senior official within the DHS’ National Security Division for the Homeland Security Investigations, told Judge Ana Reyes. The only individualized review was then to verify the name in the law enforcement database was the same person as the name in a portal known as “SEVIS,” which schools use to ensure their international students are meeting the requirements of their educational visas.
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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/29/politics/immigration-records-students/index.html