Three Indian students studying in the US have joined forces with two others from China to legally challenge the Trump administration over F-1 student visa terminations of "thousands of international students." In a class action lawsuit filed before the US District Court in New Hampshire, the quintet, through their attorneys, argued that their "unilateral and unlawful termination" of the F-1 status has put them out of lawful student status.
At schools around the United States, international students have seen their visas revoked or their legal status terminated, typically with little notice and often on minor grounds such as traffic and parking violations. About 1,100 students at more than 170 colleges, universities and university systems have been affected since late March, according to an Associated Press report.
Seeking to reinstate the student visas that have been terminated and a halt to detentions and deportations, the lawsuit alleged that the Department of Homeland Security has unilaterally terminated the F-1 visas of "hundreds, if not thousands," of foreign students and Optional Practical Training ("OPT") participants throughout the US.
The three Indian plaintiffs behind the lawsuit are Manikanta Pasula, Linkhith Babu Gorrela and Thanuj Kumar Gummadavelli -- all students of Rivier University in New Hampshire. The two Chinese plaintiffs are Hangrui Zhang and Haoyang An, graduate students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Indians and Chinese are the two biggest foreign groups in the US academia, with over half a million students between them.
Gorella is set to graduate in May 2025, while Gummadavelli and Pasula have one more semester before their Master's degree is completed. Their graduation is unlikely unless the court intervenes.
Per the lawsuit, Pasula was arrested and charged with driving without a valid US license while he had his Indian driver's license. New Hampshire permits the use of International Driving Permits for up to 60 days after foreign students arrive in the United States, according to a Times of India Report.
The report said Pasula's arrest came within the 60-day window, but he pled guilty and paid a $248 fine before getting a valid US driver's license. Pasula received an email from Rivier University earlier this month informing him that the State Department revoked his visa. He also received a similar email from the US Consulate General in Mumbai saying that "remaining in the United States without a lawful immigration status can result in fines, detention, and/or deportation."
The three Indian plaintiffs behind the lawsuit are Rivier University (New Hampshire) students Manikanta Pasula, Linkhith Babu Gorrela and Thanuj Kumar Gummadavelli. Gorella's graduation date for his Master's program is listed as May 20, 2025. Meanwhile, Gummadavelli and Pasula are left with just one semester before their Master's degree is completed.
Cases against Thanuj and Gorrela are similar. They were reportedly charged with a traffic misdemeanour for failing to carry a valid US driver's license. Both had an international driving permit but were using it beyond the 60-day window. They also paid fines and subsequently got their US licenses, but their student status was nixed by the State Department.
On the other hand, the lawsuit said that Zhang was arrested and charged with a misdemeanour in an episode stemming from a misunderstanding, while Haoyang An was charged with a misdemeanour for driving without an active insurance policy in Massachusetts. Although both their cases were dismissed in court, their student status was also revoked amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration.
In their suit, the students claimed that their visa revocation had put them on the verge of detention and deportation and subjected them to "severe financial and academic hardship." They also said that they were unable to work in the Optional Practical Training program after graduation, and their degrees have also been withheld from them.
