Northwestern graduate sues Trump administration over revoked student visa
Northwestern student sues federal government after student visa revoked
A Northwestern University international student is suing the federal government after his student visa was revoked. This suit is the first of it's kind in Illinois.
EVANSTON, Ill. - A recent graduate of Northwestern University from India is suing the federal government after his student visa was revoked.
The lawsuit is the first of its kind in Illinois.
Northwestern grad sues Trump officials
What we know:
Last week, Northwestern confirmed that some of its international students' and recent graduates’ visas were revoked, and their student records were terminated.
The school did not disclose the exact number of students or recent graduates who were affected.
In the lawsuit filed on Monday in federal court, Parth Atul Chatwani, a citizen of India who recently graduated from and was still working at Northwestern, said he is in the U.S. legally under an F-1 student visa. He’s currently working on his optional practical training (OPT), which is temporary employment that’s related to an F-1 student’s major.
The lawsuit names Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to the lawsuit, Chatwani has been experiencing "extreme stress" and fears being detained by ICE or even possibly arrested, even though he does not have a criminal record, has not participated in any political activity, and has been compliant with the conditions of his student visa.
Other Illinois college students affected
Big picture view:
Some international students around the country who have seen their visas revoked under the Trump administration have been linked to pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.
Chatwani’s lawyers are asking that his F-1 status be reinstated, and his student records be resurrected.
The University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign all told Fox 32 that they had international students impacted by revoked visas.
More than 4,700 students nationwide may have had their records terminated over the past three weeks, according to Bob White, a Chicago area attorney and member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
The group compiled a list of Illinois colleges and universities that have had students affected by the revocations, including: College of Lake County, Concordia University Chicago, Elmhurst University, Governors State University, National Louis University, North Park University, Northeastern University, Northern Illinois University, the School of Art Institute Chicago, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Waubonsee Community College and Western Illinois University.