ATLANTA — Georgia civil rights organizations—CAIR-Georgia, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, and American Civil Liberties Union-Georgia—today held a press conference with Kuck Baxter Immigration, a private immigration law firm, condemning the visa revocations of international students at Kennesaw State University, Georgia Tech, Emory University, University of Georgia, and other Georgia colleges.
The press conference followed an emergency Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) hearing at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building & United States Courthouse in Atlanta, where Kuck Baxter filed a federal lawsuit naming Attorney General Pam Bondi, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons as defendants, and unnamed Georgia international students as plaintiffs. Thirty Georgia students are included in the complaint, brought by 133 plaintiffs across the country. The Georgia civil rights organizations co-authored an amicus brief filed in support of the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit aims to put a temporary block on the government to protect students from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, detentions and deportations. The lawsuit alleges the government “cannot misuse SEVIS to circumvent the law, strip students of status, and drive them out of the country without process.” SEVIS, or Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, is the system that tracks international students’ immigration status. Kuck Baxter and the civil rights organizations argue that the governments’ actions violate the students’ due process protections under the Fifth Amendment.
Charles Kuck, Attorney and Founding Partner at Kuck Baxter stated, “When the government doesn’t follow the rules, it requires people to stand up. That’s what these students are doing … We require that ICE follow the law, just as ICE requires that our clients follow the law. And we will do everything possible to hold them accountable to the standards that they themselves developed.”
Aaron Butler, CAIR-Georgia Managing Attorney remarked, “The unlawful termination of international students’ SEVIS records continues a troubling pattern of targeting Muslims and other communities of color. Impacted students face immediate risk of detention to Georgia facilities where documented human rights abuses are rampant and detainees can be held for years. With seven federal courts already halting these unconstitutional actions, we urge immediate relief to protect Georgia's Muslim international students and the broader international student community that contributes over $1 billion annually to our state's economy.”
Samantha Hamilton, Impact Litigation Staff Attorney at Advancing Justice-Atlanta commented, “As long as someone is in the United States, they are entitled to all the rights and privileges of the Constitution that citizens are entitled to, including rights to due process and freedom of expression. Across the state of Georgia, immigrants are cherished, valued members of the community—from Habersham County, to Buford Highway, to South Georgia—and they must be protected.”
Cory Isaacson, Legal Director at the ACLU of Georgia said, “The Trump administration's mass termination of students' immigration statuses—without notice or due process—is another blatant assault on constitutional rights. The Constitution protects everyone on American soil, and this disregard for fundamental rights needs to be stopped.”
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CAIR-Georgia’s mission is to protect civil rights, promote justice, empower American Muslims, and enhance the understanding of Islam.
The ACLU of Georgia enhances and defends the civil liberties and rights of all Georgians through legal action, legislative and community advocacy, and civic education and engagement.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), and other marginalized communities in Georgia and the Southeast.
