Indiana international students have visa status returned after Trump policy reversal
Earlier this month, international students living in Indiana and across the nation began receiving notices from their respective universities that the Department of Homeland Security had removed them from its student tracking database. Such removal meant these students had their legal status and visas to stay in the United States revoked without notice.
Nine of those international students in Indiana partnered with the ACLU Indiana to file two lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security, arguing that their legal status and visas were wrongfully revoked.
Department of Justice attorneys announced on April 25 that the government would restore the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the U.S.
More: Trump administration reverses controversial termination of student visas
On Tuesday, attorneys with the ACLU of Indiana received additional reassurance after Department of Homeland Security lawyers confirmed the government had restored all of the international students' legal status.
'The last few weeks have been incredibly difficult for these students,' said Ken Falk, legal director, ACLU of Indiana.
'They faced enormous financial, academic, and emotional hardship as a result of DHS's actions, and we're relieved that they once again have their student status. They deserve to continue their studies here in Indiana.'
On April 3, 2025, international students in Indiana started receiving notices from their universities' international services departments explaining that their F-1 student status had been revoked. This status allowed them to stay in the United States during their schooling and accompanying practical training, according to the lawsuit.
The ACLU filed two lawsuits in the Indiana court system; one in the southern court on behalf of a student attending Indiana University in Indianapolis and another in the northern court on behalf of six Purdue University students, one Notre Dame student and one student from Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne.
The two lawsuits noted that the students were in full compliance with the terms of their F-1 status and had not engaged in conduct that would justify the termination.
The lawsuit claims that the students were wrongfully removed from Homeland Security's SEVIS record system, a government database that tracks international and exchange students' legal status in the United States.
The termination of their SEVIS records meant they would be unable to finish their education in the United States and were at risk of being deported.
In April, the ACLU filed a request with the federal court to protect the students from involuntary removal; however, the judge denied this request, claiming that the students had "not demonstrated irreparable harm to warrant the extraordinary exercise of judicial power."
None of the students listed in the ACLU lawsuits were subject to deportation proceedings.
The two ACLU cases are still active in the Indiana federal courts, even though the Justice Department announced that it would be restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students.
Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@indystar.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Legal status restored for Indiana international students after DOJ reversal
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