It was a single ruling, issued in a courtroom in Oakland – and yet it echoed across the nation. Federal Judge Jeffrey S. White of the U.S. District Court in California drew a clear line on Thursday against the Trump administration. The lawful immigration status of international students may not be revoked as long as a pending lawsuit over earlier terminations remains unresolved.
The judge prohibited authorities from arresting affected individuals, removing them from their place of residence, or imposing legal disadvantages. Even previously reinstated visas may not be touched. Only in cases of violent crime is detention still permitted.
White justified his decision with pointed words. The government’s actions, he wrote, had “wreaked havoc not only on the lives of the plaintiffs here but on similarly situated F-1 nonimmigrants across the United States – and continue to do so.”
What may seem like a formal court order is, in truth, a message. The judiciary is defending the law against arbitrariness. And for thousands of young people from around the world, it means a moment to breathe – perhaps even a future.
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