LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — All seven international students at UNLV who had their visas revoked by federal immigration authorities earlier this month have now had their records reinstated, Channel 13 has learned
The UNLV students were part of a national sweep that saw more than 1,000 international student visas revoked across the country.
But the Trump administration recently announced it would back off from the legal fight over immigration enforcement that led to these visa terminations.
WATCH | A local immigration attorney helps explain what these developments mean:
At UNLV, immigration challenges hit close to home for students like Selena, who tells me she is a DACA recipient.
"These students, I mean, they're our future. They're here to get an education," Selina said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement now says it's developing a new policy for how immigration records are reviewed.
David Ware, an immigration attorney hired by UNLV as outside counsel, explained the implications of this development.
"Well, it means that for the moment, they'll be safe, OK?" Ware told me. "What I'm hearing across the country from attorneys and designated school officials (is) that everyone's being returned to status. That doesn't fix the situation long term, however."
According to Ware, many students had no criminal history, only entries in federal law enforcement databases due to other minor violations.
"The program in which they were terminating students was completely without any legal underpinning," Ware said.
Despite the reinstatement, Ware cautions affected students about international travel.
"Any student with a revoked visa should not travel. They will be sitting out a year abroad before they get a new visa at minimum," he said.
For students like Selina, the situation highlights ongoing challenges in pursuing higher education.
"It's very unfortunate that we're trying to get our education and things like this try to stop us," Selina told me.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
