Washington, D.C.: An Indian student is among four international students from public universities in Michigan who have filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), challenging the abrupt termination of their F-1 student visas without prior notice or explanation.
Chinmay Deore from India, along with Xiangyun Bu and Qiuyi Yang from China and Yogesh Joshi from Nepal, are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, which is also seeking an emergency court injunction to protect the students from potential detention or deportation.
The students allege that their legal immigration status was wrongfully revoked in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) — a U.S. government database used to monitor nonimmigrant students. According to the lawsuit, the terminations occurred despite the students maintaining full compliance with immigration and academic regulations.
“The lawsuit asks the court to reinstate the status of these students so they can complete their studies and avoid the devastating consequences of deportation,” the ACLU said in a public statement.
The complaint emphasizes that none of the students has engaged in any criminal activity, violated immigration laws, or participated in political demonstrations. “None of them has been charged with, let alone convicted of, any crime in the U.S.,” the lawsuit states. “Nor have they been active in on-campus protests regarding any political issue.”
Filed in federal court, the lawsuit names DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, and ICE Detroit Field Office Director Robert Lynch as defendants. The students argue that their visa cancellations appear to be linked to minor or legally permissible interactions with law enforcement, including routine traffic stops or canceled entry attempts — none of which legally justify revoking immigration status.
The lawsuit accuses DHS of failing to notify either the students or their universities with adequate reasoning or due process, in what the ACLU characterizes as an extension of Trump-era immigration policies that continue to affect international students nationwide.
“This is more than a paperwork issue,” said Ramis Wadood, staff attorney at ACLU of Michigan. “These cruel and illegal government actions have real-life consequences. The government’s unjustified actions not only disrupt the lives of these students but also send a chilling message to future international scholars considering the U.S. — and Michigan — as a destination.”
Similar legal challenges have emerged in New Hampshire, Indiana, and California, highlighting a growing national concern over the treatment of international students under evolving immigration enforcement practices.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)