FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2026
MEDIA CONTACTS:
press@presidentsalliance.org
media@nipnlg.org
Washington, D.C. — The National Immigration Project, Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) welcome the March 20, 2026 decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts largely denying the government’s motion to dismiss our lawsuit challenging unlawful student visa revocations and SEVIS record termination policies.
The ruling allows the case to proceed on the core claims and affirms that the serious legal and constitutional issues raised by the plaintiffs warrant full consideration by the court.
The lawsuit challenges actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of State (DOS) related to the unlawful mass termination of SEVIS records and student visas for F-1 students and participants in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program that occurred in the Spring of 2025. In its decision, the court rejected the government’s arguments that the case should be dismissed, finding that the Presidents’ Alliance and AICUM have standing to sue. The court also held that the plaintiffs’ claims are not moot despite the government’s later reactivation of SEVIS records, noting that the challenged policies could reasonably recur and that key issues, including the mass visa revocations, remain unresolved.
Importantly, the court allowed the core claims to proceed, including challenges to:
- DOS’s policy of revoking student visas based on database matches without individualized assessment;
- DHS’s policy of terminating SEVIS records based on those revocations and database hits; and
- ICE’s policy guidance authorizing such terminations of SEVIS records without notice-and-comment rulemaking.
The court dismissed only one limited claim related to communications sent to students by DOS, finding that those communications did not constitute final agency action.
The Presidents’ Alliance and AICUM are represented by the law firms Green & Spiegel, Zimmer, Citron & Clarke LLP, and the National Immigration Project.
Miriam Feldblum, President and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance, stated:
“We welcome the court’s decision to allow this case to move forward. The government’s actions created chaos and fear for international students and profound disruption for colleges and universities. Friday’s ruling is an important step toward accountability and ensuring that agencies comply with the law and respect due process. Left unchecked, the current administration’s actions will further undermine higher education’s ability to recruit and retain international students and scholars, whose contributions enhance campus programs, support local communities, grow our economy, and advance U.S. innovation.”
Rob McCarron, President and CEO of AICUM, stated:
“This decision affirms that the concerns raised by colleges and universities on behalf of their international students deserve full judicial review. Our goal remains ensuring due process and that any changes to the SEVIS program occur in full compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. More than 80,000 international students travel to Massachusetts to pursue higher education; their contributions to our campuses and broader communities are immense. Stability, clarity and lawful processes are essential for students and institutions alike.”
Khaled Alrabe, Senior Staff Attorney at the National Immigration Project, stated:
“Two years ago, international students who had done nothing wrong woke up to find their status erased with no warning, no hearing, no explanation. The government argued this court should look away. The judge’s decision says otherwise. That accountability matters, not just for the students swept up in the spring 2025 chaos, but for every international student still living under policies that could trigger it again.”
David Zimmer, Partner at Zimmer, Citron & Clarke, stated:
“This ruling is an important step towards holding the federal government accountable for upending international students' lives and throwing campuses into chaos. The court appropriately recognized that the government should not be able to unlawfully terminate international students' visa and SEVIS records and then shield its unlawful policies from judicial review. We thank the Presidents’ Alliance and AICUM for their leadership on these issues and look forward to litigating this case on the merits.”
Jonathan Grode, Managing Partner Green and Spiegel, stated:
Friday’s decision underscores what we have maintained from the outset of this case: agencies cannot sidestep due process and statutory requirements through sweeping, automated actions that upend the lives of international students and the institutions that support them. This ruling is an important first step toward ensuring the transparency, accountability, and lawful administration of the student visa and SEVIS systems. We look forward to continuing to press these issues before the court on behalf of our clients and the broader higher education community.
Resources:
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts March 20, 2026 Order
- Amended Complaint Filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- FAQs: Understanding Recent International Student Visa Revocations and SEVIS Record Terminations: Guidance for Colleges & Universities
- Briefing: Visa Revocations and SEVIS Terminations: Ongoing Administrative Actions, Litigations and Impact on International and other Noncitizen Students, Faculty and Staff
- Policy Brief: The Scope of Immigration Enforcement Actions Against International Students
- For continuing updates on the case, see the case litigation page on our website.
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The nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration brings college and university presidents and chancellors together on the immigration issues that impact higher education, our students, campuses, communities and nation. We work to support immigrant, international and refugee students, and advance forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal level, in our states, and across our college campuses. The Alliance is composed of nearly 600 college and university presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, enrolling over five million students in 42 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
AICUM provides a public voice on key matters that concern private independent colleges and universities in Massachusetts. We advocate for increased funding for need-based financial aid programs, economic and workforce development support, incentives for college savings programs, additional funding for research and innovation and to protect the tax-exempt status of nonprofit colleges and universities.
Green & Spiegel is an immigration law firm headquartered in Philadelphia with offices around the country, representing a wide range of individuals, companies and universities.
The National Immigration Project is a membership organization of attorneys, advocates, and community members who believe that all people should be treated with dignity, live freely, and flourish. We litigate, advocate, educate, and build bridges across movements to ensure that those most impacted by the immigration and criminal systems are uplifted and supported. Learn more at nipnlg.org. Follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, and X/Twitter at @nipnlg.
Zimmer, Citron & Clarke is a litigation boutique focused on appeals and motions practice in high stakes matters. We represent clients at every level of the federal and state judiciaries and have handled nearly a dozen merits cases at the United States Supreme Court.