Community Explainer: Immigrant Students and Targeting on College Campuses

Originally published March 20, 2025 | Updated May 9, 2025

Recently, news has emerged that many non-citizen students – including South Asians – are facing harsh immigration consequences and infringement of First Amendment rights in the current political climate. Below, the South Asian American Policy Working Group offers a Community Explainer with background information, messaging tips, Know Your Rights resources, and ways to engage. Please note that the information below does not constitute legal advice, and that developments are quickly occurring; please be sure to check trusted news sources for the most accurate, up-to-date information.

How are South Asian and other non-citizen students being affected?

South Asian non-citizen students on college campuses are among those facing immigration backlash and infringement of their First Amendment rights in the current political climate. In terms of immigration, more than 1,800 students from nearly 250 colleges have had their visas revoked and their SEVIS records terminated without notice or due process. According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, 50% of the students impacted are from India, followed by 14 percent from China; other countries represented include Nepal and Bangladesh.

Only 57% of students received actual notice of their visa revocations, which means that many might not even be aware of visa terminations. The reasons for revocation are, in many cases, ambiguous or trivial, and in some cases, related to the exercise of constitutional rights such as free speech and assembly, in relation to Palestinian human rights.

Students have been pushing back these attempts to curtail their civil rights, with 290 students filing over 65 lawsuits across the country to reinstate their SEVIS records and to restore their visas. In 35 instances, students successfully won at least a temporary block against the government’s actions. 133 students in Georgia succeeded in suing for restoration of their SEVIS records after which the federal government restored thousands of SEVIS records. However, since restoring the SEVIS records, ICE has filed a new policy proposal that would expand ICE’s ability to terminate SEVIS status and begin deportation proceedings against international students on the basis of the terminated SEVIS status.

Below is a brief summary of what a few individuals have experienced, based on news reports:

Ranjani Srinivasan is a Fulbright scholar and doctoral student at Columbia University from India whose student visa was abruptly revoked on March 5th. Shortly thereafter, ICE agents repeatedly came to Ms. Srinivasan’s campus apartment, as detailed in her statement here, and Columbia University withdrew her student enrollment. Ms. Srinivasan hastily fled to Canada. Footage showing her boarding a flight was shared on social media by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who celebrated Ms. Srinivasan’s so-called “self-deportation” and claimed that she was advocating “violence and terrorism.” Ms. Srinivasan notes that she signed open letters and shared posts on social media expressing concerns about the genocide in Gaza. While she had not been involved or even present in the US during many of the protests at Columbia, she was arrested as a bystander when the NYPD conducted an enforcement action on campus against Palestine solidarity protesters; the charges were dismissed, according to her legal team. Community members can sign the petition here, calling on Columbia to re-enroll Srinivasan’s re-enrollment, to push for reinstatement of her visa, and to defend all noncitizen students at the university.

Badar Khan Suri is an Indian citizen with a valid student visa to pursue his studies as a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University. On March 17, Dr. Khan Suri was arrested by masked DHS agents outside of his home, and told that his visa had been revoked. On March 19, a representative for DHS posted a statement claiming that Dr. Khan Suri was “deportable” because he is actively “spreading…propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media” and “has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist.” Suri’s lawyer notes that his client has not been charged with a crime and that DHS has failed to provide evidence to support the government’s claims. Georgetown University’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding released a statement on March 20, 2025, noting that “[Dr. Khan Suri] was arrested in the context of a campaign by the Trump Administration to destroy higher education in the United States and punish their political opponents.” On March 20, a federal judge ordered that Dr. Khan Suri cannot be removed from the US without further order of the court. As of this writing, he is being held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, where he has been designated a high-security prisoner and is only granted two hours of fresh air a week. On May 5, a judge denied a request from the gov’t to move Dr. Khan Suri’s case from Virginia to Texas.

Mahmoud Khalil: Mahmoud Khalil, a former student organizer at Columbia University and a legal permanent resident, was detained and arrested by ICE outside of his apartment. The federal government has defended Khalil’s detention, claiming that the Secretary of State has discretion to deport noncitizens if there are reasonable grounds to believe that their presence or actions in the US would adversely affect foreign policy. No evidence has been provided as to these claims. A federal court has ordered that Khalil cannot be removed from the US as his case moves through the legal system; however, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Mr. Khalil can be deported based on a 2-page undated justification filed by the Department of State. Appeals are pending. Khalil’s wife gave birth to their son in mid-April; his request to be present at the birth was denied. On May 8, the court issued an order requiring the government to disclose every instance in which they have used the “serious adverse foreign policy consequences” grounds – the basis for their revocation of Mr. Khalil’s visa – under 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(4)(C) between 1975 and present day. (Additional Resources: Khalil’s April 17 letter from detainment, “My Name is Mahmoud Khalil and I Am a Political Prisoner” (March 18); April 4 op-ed “A Letter to Columbia”)

Leqaa Kordia: DHS agents arrested and detained Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian student from the West Bank, on the grounds that she overstayed her F-1 student visa. Ms. Kordia was flagged by DHS for her involvement in the protests for Palestinian human rights at Columbia. Reporting indicates that she was detained after the NYPD sent a memo to DHS about Ms. Kordia’s arrest. Ms. Kordia is currently being held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, where she has lost 44 pounds, has been denied halal meals, and has fainted in the shower.

Yunseo Chung: Ms. Chung is a 21-year-old Columbia University student and lawful permanent resident who has been in the U.S. since her family immigrated from South Korea when she was 7. She has filed a lawsuit against the federal government to stop efforts to detain and/or deport her and also seeking to bar the government from targeting any noncitizen for deportation based on constitutionally protected speech and pro-Palestinian advocacy. On March 25, a federal court issued a temporary restraining order blocking the government from detaining or deporting Ms. Chung. A court hearing on a preliminary injunction to block the government’s efforts to deport Ms. Chung is scheduled for May 20.

Rumeysa Okturk: Ms. Ozturk is a 30-year-old graduate student at Tufts University in Boston, MA, and was abducted by masked, undercover ICE agents while walking from her home to meet friends at an Iftar. The government claims that Ms. Ozturk’s prior writings related to Palestine and Israel constitute grounds for her removal. She was first detained in New Hampshire, then in Vermont, after which Ms. Ozturk was moved to a detention center in Louisiana. In detention, Ms. Ozturk has been suffering from severe asthma attacks in detention with inadequate medical attention, and authorities removed her hijab without her consent, according to Rep. Ayanna Pressley who met with Ms. Ozturk. The president of Tufts has filed a statement of support of Ms. Ozturk’s release with the court, and Tufts alumni have been vocal in opposing Ms. Ozturk’s detention. On April 18, a district court denied bail for Ms. Ozturk’s release from detention, but ordered that she be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont. On May 7, the 2nd Circuit Appeals Court upheld the district court’s decision, holding that Ms. Ozturk must be returned to Vermont by May 14.

Alireza Doroudi. Deemed a national security concern but without proof of any evidence to support the allegation, undercover DHS SWAT teams arrested Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral candidate and chemical engineering student from Iran studying at the University of Alabama. Mr. Douroudi is currently being held at Central Louisiana ICE Processing in Jena, Louisiana. Mr. Doroudi has lost over 10 pounds due to stress and depression in the 6 weeks since he was detained. The government has yet to provide grounds for the revocation of his visa.

Mohsen Mahdawi. Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident in the United States for ten years born and raised in the occupied West Bank, and a student leader at Columbia, admired for his calls for interfaith dialogue and peace on campus, was arrested during his naturalization appointment on the grounds that his anti-war advocacy for Palestinian human rights poses a risk to U.S. foreign policy. Mr. Mahdawi was released from detention in Vermont on April 30 and has vowed to defend his rights as the government continues to push for his deportation. Since his release, Mr. Mahdawi has already begun collaborating on efforts to help other immigrants by setting up the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund. Read Mr. Mahdawi’s essay here about his experience. (Resource: Statement by the Columbia Philosophy Department in support of Mr. Mahdawi).

Ziyan. Ziyan, last name unknown, is a Kashmiri Muslim student at University of Texas-Austin and a campus organizer for the movement for Palestinian human rights, who was informed that their visa had been revoked and fled to safety to avoid being detained at one of many inhumane detainment facilities. Read their statement here.

What reasons are being used to revoke student visas?

News reports indicate that various reasons are being used to revoke visas, including engaging in constitutionally protected activities about Palestinian human rights, to criminal infractions and traffic violations. While some students have had their visas revoked for exercising their right to free speech, others are being given no reason or advised that their visa is being revoked for a traffic ticket, for reporting domestic violence, or for possessing alcohol as a minor.

Many of the attacks on immigrant students reveal an alarming approach by the Trump Administration to suppress First Amendment activity around Palestinian human rights, weaponize the immigration system, and brand non-citizen students as national security threats. Such attacks place targeted students in physical danger, endanger their privacy, and cast suspicion on the motives of all immigrant students, while creating a broader chilling effect on free speech and assembly by immigrants and citizens alike.

The federal government’s actions seem to be rooted in several executive orders, including Executive Order 14161 (Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats) and Executive Order 14188 (Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism). Taken together, these executive orders call for extreme screening and vetting in visa programs and direct federal agencies to develop measures that protect the American people from foreign nationals who “provide aid, advocacy, or support for foreign terrorists.” Additionally, the orders authorize the creation of mechanisms to monitor, surveil, and report on speech by non-citizen students engaged in activities involving solidarity with Palestine, and directing the use of immigration enforcement tools against perceived offenders. (For more information about the impact of the recent executive actions on students and free speech, read Criminalization of Solidarity by Muslims for Just Futures, a member of the South Asian American Policy Working Group).

The immigration enforcement actions targeting South Asian students are occurring in a broader anti-immigrant climate. Around the country, South Asian immigrants report facing increased targeting, raids, and deportations. Others have reported inhumane removal proceedings, such as being handcuffed, denied water or bathroom use, and civil rights violations on 40-hour deportation flights. Reports are also emerging of Indian seniors with green cards who are facing secondary inspections, overnight detentions, and pressure to voluntarily surrender their green cards at American airports. Additionally, Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees who sought safety in the U.S. from ethnic cleansing are being targeted for deportations and sent back to Bhutan via India, where many are being rejected, leaving innocent people without home, state, or safety.

For more info, read South Asian American Policy Working Group’s Statement on Immigration Executive Orders, January 2025).

How are these actions being challenged?

Various responses are emerging to challenge these federal actions.

Two students at Cornell University, Sriram Parasurama and Momodou Taal, sued the Trump Administration in order to block executive orders that criminalize protected speech and activities; Taal has since voluntarily left the country due to threats to his physical safety, writing a statement in solidarity with the movement for Palestinian solidarity prior to departing.
Mahmoud Khalil and other Columbia students are suing Columbia and the House Education and Workforce Committee for violating Khalil’s privacy rights by sharing his disciplinary records with the government.
The American Association of University Professors has filed a lawsuit to block the detentions and deportations of noncitizen students and faculty members who participate in First Amendment activities.
Four students in Michigan – 2 from China, 1 from India, and one from Nepal – are suing DHS, ICE, and USCIS in a federal court in Michigan, alleging that the purported termination of their student visas through terminations of SEVIS records violated immigration and administrative regulations.
133 international students filed suit in a Georgia federal district court due to the government’s termination of their SEVIS records from SEVIS without due process, notice, or a baseline justification for why their records were terminated. On April 17, 2025, a district court entered a temporary restraining order to stop termination of the visas for the students that filed the lawsuit.
Lawyers who brought the lawsuit on behalf of 133 students in a Georgia federal court that resulted in restoration of student SEVIS records have filed an amended complaint to challenge the State Department’s revocation of international student visas and ICE’s new policy proposal that would expand ICE’s ability to terminate SEVIS status and begin deportation proceedings against international students on the basis of the terminated SEVIS status.

How can South Asian community members respond?

Share the below key messages with community members and networks, and in op eds:

● People should not be targeted for exercising their protected First Amendment rights, regardless of their immigration status or the scope of their involvement in constitutionally protected activities.

● No one should be subjected to immigration, academic, and professional consequences for engaging in constitutionally protected activities, including support for Palestinian human rights.

● The federal government must not weaponize the immigration system to prevent non-citizens from sharing their viewpoints and exercising their constitutionally protected rights to free speech and assembly.

● Students should receive due process which includes understanding why their visas are being revoked and a process by which to assert their rights

● Colleges and universities have a responsibility to preserve the rights of all students and to offer guidance, support, and due process protections.

Urge policymakers and universities to take action.

Lawmakers at the federal and state levels must speak out and defend the rights of all immigrants to exercise First Amendment rights without fear of being targeted by the government. Colleges and universities must reassure immigrant students of their rights to free speech and ensure student access to due process, legal representation, and protection in the event of targeting. International students report feeling fear of sharing their opinions publicly and are moving away from social media to avoid being targeted by U.S. immigration authorities.

Resource: Community members can use this Action Alert to demand that universities protect students.

Support students.

Community groups around the country can support students on college campuses exercising their constitutional rights in the United States by supporting student organizations, providing Know Your Rights trainings, speaking out on their behalf, and offering legal and mental health resources, as needed.

Members of broader university communities, including faculty, staff, donors and alumni, can speak out to support affected students and to demand that universities affirm and protect the constitutional rights of all students.

Connect students with legal resources.

For students, please see the resources below around protesting tips and other safety information, including the Higher Ed Immigration Portal which provides information on immigrant student rights, legal help, deportation defense, and guidance on what institutions can do within and beyond the university to protect undocumented students. Students should be diligent when selecting an attorney, and Muslims for Just Futures offers a guide on what you should know when you’re looking for a lawyer.

(Resources: National Immigration Project’s Find an attorney directory by state; Muslim for Just Futures Legal Directory; Immigration Advocates Network Legal Services Directory and online reporting forms: CAIR | Asian Law Caucus).

Dispel inaccurate information.

It is important to be aware of far-right narratives that spew disinformation, malign immigrant students, and create wedges to prevent solidarity. These narratives can influence community opinions, and damage the reputations of individuals involved. It is important to seek out trusted and vetted news, and verify information before sharing it. Below is a list of vetted sources of information.

For additional information:

Media and Explainers

“US revokes nearly 1,500 student visas: Who are the targets?” (Al Jazeera, April 18, 2025).

“The Scope of Immigration Enforcement Actions Against International Students” (American Immigration Lawyers Association, April 17, 2025).

“How a Columbia Student Fled to Canada after ICE came looking for her” (Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Hamed Aleaziz, New York Times, March 15, 2025).

“Palestinian woman arrested by Newark ICE agents held in North Texas” (Julia James, Dallas News, March 16, 2025).

“My Name is Mahmoud Khalil and I Am a Political Prisoner” (Mahmoud Khalil, March 18, 2025)

“GU Researcher Detained By Immigration Agents” (Evie Steele, Nora Toscano, Ajani Stella, and Maren Fagan, The Hoya, March 19, 2025).

“Statement on Badar Khan Suri” (Georgetown University Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, March 20, 2025).

Find Legal Support (for Students)

National Immigration Project – NLG – Find an attorney directory by state

Muslim for Just Futures Legal Directory.