ATLANTA — In a major legal victory for the ACLU of Georgia and international students across the state, a federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order requiring the federal government to reinstate the immigration status of 133 students whose visas were recently revoked.

U.S. District Judge Victoria Calvert issued the ruling, directing the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Attorney General to immediately restore the legal status of the affected students, many of whom attend Georgia colleges and universities.

“What it literally did was order the government, ICE, and Department of Homeland Security, and the Attorney General of the United States to reinstate plaintiff students’ status, and that will allow the court to hold another hearing,” said Akiva Freidlin, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Georgia.

The restraining order lasts for 14 days and is seen as a key early step in a broader legal challenge to the Trump administration policy that revoked the visas. Attorneys with the ACLU say the students were given little warning and few options before being ordered to leave the country.

“I would say we are not surprised,” Freidlin added. “We are fairly confident that looking at the law, the government did not follow the law by just cancelling status, so that students end up receiving directions that they need to leave the country.”

Judge Calvert also granted a protective order to shield the identities of the students involved in the case. Both sides are scheduled to return to court on Thursday, April 24, for a preliminary injunction hearing, which could determine whether the reinstated status remains in effect for the duration of the case.