The Trump administration has reinstated the legal status of hundreds of international students whose records were wrongly terminated from a federal visa monitoring system, putting them at risk of deportation, according to BBC.

The move came during a court hearing in Boston, where a case filed by an affected student is still pending. Many students claimed their records had been destroyed because of minor or dismissed allegations, despite rules requiring removal only after conviction for significant crimes.

University groups and immigration advocates have criticized the administration's moves, warning that they may deter international students, who contribute an estimated $44bn to the US economy each year and play an important role in academic and research innovation, BBC reported.

In court filings, the government maintained that visa eligibility can be withdrawn if a student's name shows in criminal history databases, but plaintiffs say that many terminations violate existing legal requirements.