A group of five international students three from India and two from China has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the abrupt and mass revocation of their F-1 student visas. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the US District Court of New Hampshire, accuses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of unlawfully terminating the visas of “hundreds, if not thousands” of international students without due process.
The plaintiffs, Indian students Manikanta Pasula, Linkhith Babu Gorrela, and Thanuj Kumar Gummadavelli from Rivier University, and Chinese students Hangrui Zhang and Haoyang An from Worcester Polytechnic Institute argue that they have complied fully with visa requirements, maintained academic standing, avoided unauthorized employment, and have no criminal records. Despite this, their visas were revoked suddenly, jeopardizing their ability to complete their education and participate in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, a vital pathway for international students to work in the US after graduation.
The students face severe academic and financial hardships. Gorrela fears he will not graduate on May 20 as planned, while Pasula and Gummadavelli have only one semester left and worry their careers and immigration prospects will collapse without court intervention. Zhang lost his research assistantship, his sole income source, and An may have to abandon his studies despite having invested over $329,000 in his education.
The lawsuit demands reinstatement of the students’ legal status to prevent detention and deportation and to allow them to complete their studies. It also highlights that the government failed to provide the legally required notice before terminating the visas, leaving students unaware until their universities informed them.
This legal challenge underscores the broader impact of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on international students, raising concerns about due process and the future of thousands of foreign students in the US academic system.
