A major legal challenge has been mounted by an Indian student against the Trump administration, highlighting growing anxieties within the Indian-American academic community.
Chinmay Deore, a student at Wayne State University in Michigan, is among four international students who have sued US immigration authorities after their student visa statuses were allegedly terminated without prior notice. The students are seeking immediate restoration of their legal status to avoid deportation.
Filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the lawsuit claims that the termination of the students’ immigration status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) was both arbitrary and unlawful.
The case, supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), includes students from India, China, and Nepal. All of them maintain that they were neither involved in any political activism nor violated any immigration or academic rules.
According to the complaint, none of the students were notified of any wrongdoing or given an opportunity to respond before their legal student status was revoked.
SEVIS, a crucial federal database, monitors non-immigrant students in the US, and removal from this system essentially strips them of their right to remain in the country.
What has made this situation more alarming is that many of the affected students reportedly received emails instructing them to “self-deport.”
Others were told they were under review for prior minor infractions—ranging from traffic violations to previous encounters with law enforcement—even when these were non-criminal or involved no convictions.
ACLU Michigan’s executive director, Loren Khogali, strongly criticized the administration’s actions. “The Trump administration is weaponizing the immigration system to spread fear,” she said. “Targeting students who have not broken any laws sends a chilling message to all international communities in America.”
This incident has especially resonated with the Indian diaspora in the US, where thousands of families are already on edge over increasingly restrictive immigration measures.
Many Indian students contribute significantly to the US economy, not only through tuition fees but also via research, teaching, and innovation.
The timing is also significant. This legal battle follows a recent court order that temporarily halted the deportation of another Indian student, 21-year-old Krish Lal Isserdasani. He had his visa canceled just weeks before graduation.
As concerns mount, immigration lawyers and student groups are urging all international students to stay informed and consult legal counsel if they receive any questionable communication from immigration authorities.
With the 2024 elections behind and policy shifts underway, the uncertainty around student visas has become a pressing concern for Indian families banking on American education as a pathway to global opportunity.
For now, the case of Chinmay Deore stands as a critical moment in the broader conversation about the treatment of international students in the US—and especially the vulnerability of Indians pursuing the American dream.
