A judge has denied requests for a restraining order from a group of international students whose F-1 student visas were revoked.
On April 17, Judge James Patrick Hanlon of the Southern District of Indiana ruled against reinstating the visas of seven international students from Purdue, IU Indianapolis, and Notre Dame, WFYI reports. The students had requested a restraining order to prevent deportation and argued that the government’s actions violated their Fifth Amendment due process rights.
However, the judge ruled that the students had not demonstrated how losing their visas would lead to serious harm.
“While the court understands the turmoil that Plaintiffs are experiencing because of the sudden and unexpected termination of their F-1 student status in SEVIS, Plaintiffs have not demonstrated irreparable harm to warrant the extraordinary exercise of judicial power required for the Court to issue a temporary restraining order,” Hanlon wrote.
“Under Supreme Court precedent, ‘some possibility’ of deportation is not enough to show irreparable harm…Plaintiffs have not shown non-speculative harm beyond a potential gap in their educations, which, standing alone, is generally not irreparable harm.”
The judge’s decision contrasts with rulings by federal judges in states like Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, and Wisconsin, where courts have granted temporary restraining orders to international students challenging their visa revocations.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a federal program that monitors F-1 visa holders. Amid changes implemented by President Donald Trump’s current administration, the government has changed the visa status of more than 1,550 international students across over 240 schools.
The Indiana students who filed the lawsuits argue their visas were revoked without prior notice or an opportunity to respond, leaving them in fear of deportation. The F-1 visa allows individuals to study at U.S. institutions and work legally, provided they meet specific requirements.
Five of the students enrolled in programs at Purdue University and one at Indiana University Indianapolis are citizens of China, and one student attending the University of Notre Dame is from Nigeria. The ACLU of Indiana, representing the students, stated that they are “deeply disappointed” by the judge’s ruling, which affects the students who are all in good academic standing.
“These students have invested years of their lives and thousands of dollars in their education,” Legal Director Ken Falk said. “For DHS to terminate their status with no warning is deeply unfair, and we believe it is illegal.”
The students have until April 21 to show evidence of how they will be harmed by having their visas revoked.
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