EUGENE, OR – U.S. District Judge Michael McShane, at a federal court hearing here Monday, “questioned” federal attorneys over the legal grounds used to terminate students of their legal status, KCRA reported, citing the Oregonian/OregonLive.
KCRA writes Judge McShane said, “There has to be some regulations for when it’s appropriate and not appropriate. What regulation is ICE following here?”
Federal Attorney Patrick J. Conti, representing the Dept. of Homeland Security, told the court the government didn’t have sufficient time to gather all the facts, KCRA noted.
Conti also argued the students weren’t experiencing “irreparable harm,” asserting that no final agency decision had been made that could be appealed yet, as reported by KCRA.
KCRA noted, however, the ACLU of Oregon and a private immigration firm filed the lawsuits, accusing the Trump administration of stripping visa status “without any notice or meaningful explanation” to the students or their universities.
KCRA noted the plaintiffs are two students, the first a 32-year old doctoral student from Mexico, and the second a 29-year old British student pursuing two master’s degrees.
Across the country, more than 1,000 international students have faced sudden revocations of their visas or legal status, often with no advance notice, KCRA reported, adding students have brought similar legal actions in other states, arguing that these ICE has violated due process rights.
Federal courts in states like Georgia, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Montana, and Washington have issued temporary restraining orders to protect students from deportation efforts, at least for now, according to KCRA.
