HARTFORD — The ACLU Foundation of Connecticut has won a preliminary injunction restoring the foreign student plaintiffs’ lawful status and barring the government from altering that status without permission while the litigation proceeds.
The ACLU Foundation of Connecticut filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and two of its top officials on April 24, 2025, for unlawfully terminating university students’ status records in the electronic system used to administer foreign students (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System or SEVIS). The lawsuit details how the unlawful termination of student status violates the Administrative Procedures Act and the Due Process Clause of the Constitution.
A federal judge issued an order of jurisdictional protection on the evening of April 24, 2025, and granted a temporary restraining order on April 28. The preliminary injunction extends the protections from the temporary restraining order to a more permanent basis and makes any further terminations of the students’ records subject to the notification and approval of the Court.
“In April, thousands of students across the country were stripped overnight of their ability to study, research, and work in the United States. Heading into the summer, these students have been met with continued uncertainty in the face of an unpredictable federal government intent on coercing them to abandon their studies and leave,” said ACLU Foundation of Connecticut senior staff attorney Elana Bildner. “This preliminary injunction is a strong rebuke of the defendants’ actions, and a powerful reminder that due process and the rule of law supersede politically motivated attacks. These students are hard workers who have invested years and significant resources into their degrees and career aspirations. This preliminary injunction means that these students can breathe a little easier as they go about their studies, work, and research, knowing that the court is behind them.”
“This preliminary injunction extends protections for these students, and we are hopeful that relief for all students in the putative class will come soon,” said ACLU Foundation of Connecticut staff attorney Jaclyn Blickley. “The impact on these students’ lives has been profound, and this action by the court means more stability for them moving forward. The federal government cannot just arbitrarily decide a student’s fate with no notice, warning, or due process. We are glad to see the Constitution prevail.”
“This preliminary injunction reinforces that these students belong at their colleges and universities, and that the Department of Homeland Security unfairly and unlawfully targeted them,” said Middletown attorney J. Christopher Llinas, who represents the plaintiffs along with the ACLU. “Now we’re looking forward to obtaining relief for all the foreign students studying at our state’s colleges and universities.”
In the case, Du v. Department of Homeland Security the four named plaintiffs are represented by lawyers from the ACLU of Connecticut’s legal department and Middletown law firm Llinas Law. The four students have asked the U.S. District Court to certify a class comprising all foreign students in Connecticut and decide their common claims together. The court will next consider this request.
Find the decision here.