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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The Trump administration has decided to reinstate the legal status of foreign students whose student visas were recently terminated. This comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to develop a new policy for handling visa termination.
👥 Who’s Involved: The decision involves the Trump administration, ICE, foreign students, the Justice Department (DOJ), and a number of American universities across the country.
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📍 Where & When: Affected students across the U.S. began seeing their statuses restored as of Thursday afternoon. The announcement was made during a hearing in the Northern District of California.
💬 Key Quote: DOJ attorney Elizabeth D. Kurlan stated, “ICE still maintains the authority to terminate a SEVIS record for other reasons.”
⚠️ Impact: The reinstatement affects many foreign students, allowing some to regain their status, though their visas remain revoked, causing uncertainty. The termination still appears on records, potentially affecting future visas or green card applications.
IN FULL:
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it would restore the legal status of a number of foreign students whose records were previously terminated. Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney Elizabeth D. Kurlan announced the move during a federal court hearing in the Northern District of California. The DOJ attorney elaborated that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) now plans to introduce a new policy to govern the termination of status records.
This development follows the Trump administration’s previous action of revoking visas and legal statuses of many foreign students, particularly those who participated in pro-Hamas demonstrations or had prior charges such as DUIs. While affected students may see their records reactivated, their visa revocation still appears on their record, and ICE notes it still retains the authority to terminate Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records.
“ICE still maintains the authority to terminate a SEVIS record for other reasons,” Kurlan said, adding that the reasons include situations “…such as if a student fails to maintain his or her nonimmigrant status after the record is reactivated, or engages in other unlawful activity that would render him or her removable from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
A number of foreign students impacted by the revocations saw their statuses updated on Thursday afternoon, almost 24 hours before the DOJ announcement in federal court. However, not all foreign students were reinstated. The University of California, Berkeley, says about half of its affected students have regained their status. Other academic institutions have seen similar mixed updates.
Additionally, the prior terminations still appear on student records, which could negatively impact future immigration processes such as green card applications or requests for other visa statuses.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: A former New Mexico magistrate judge and his wife were arrested after allegedly harboring members of Venezuela’s violent Tren de Aragua criminal organization.
👥 Who’s Involved: Former Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, his wife Nancy Cano, and Venezuelan illegal immigrant and Tren de Aragua member Cristhian Ortega-Lopez.
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📍 Where & When: Las Cruces, New Mexico; arrests occurred late on Thursday, April 24.
💬 Key Quote: “Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang,” Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) following the arrests, adding: “If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise.”
⚠️ Impact: Both Canos are held without bond; Joel Cano has been barred from judicial office, and hearings are ongoing for the gang suspect.
IN FULL:
Former Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his spouse, Nancy Cano, were taken into custody late Thursday in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and face charges related to allegations that the couple harbored illegal immigrant members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. Joel Cano is being charged with evidence tampering, while his wife, Nancy, is being charged with conspiracy to tamper stemming from their relationship with a Venezuelan illegal immigrant and accused member of Tren de Aragua, Cristhian Ortega-Lopez.
Ortega-Lopez, detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week, is accused of possessing firearms illegally and having links to the dangerous Venezuelan criminal gang. Tren de Aragua, designated as a terrorist organization by U.S. President Donald J. Trump, is known for violent activities in Venezuela. He was found living on the Canos’ property, which triggered the law enforcement actions against the couple, including an extensive ICE raid and search on their home on Thursday.
“Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang,” Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a post late Thursday on X (formerly Twitter) following the arrests, adding: “If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise.”
Before his judgeship commenced in 2010, Joel Cano served for over two decades in the police force. However, Cano was forced to resign from the bench following ICE’s arrest of Ortega-Lopez during a search on February 28. Notably, Ortega-Lopez entered the U.S. at the infamous Eagle Pass, Texas border crossing in December of 2023 during the illegal immigration crisis under former President Joe Biden. The Biden government subsequently released the Venezuelan illegal immigrant and alleged Tren de Aragua member due to overcrowding at a detention center.
Ortega-Lopez’s online presence showed him and others with firearms in a shooting range. It is illegal in the United States for illegal immigrants to own or possess a firearm or ammunition unless the weapon is for immediate export. The Venezuelan illegal immigrant is slated for a court appearance on April 30, with federal prosecutors deeming him a flight risk.
The New Mexico Supreme Court has also permanently banned Joel Cano from holding judicial office. It remains uncertain if the Canos will face further charges related to harboring illegal immigrants or supporting a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).
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