US judge stops deportation of Indian student weeks before graduation from University of Wisconsin–Madison
The judge’s April 15 order blocks the Department of Homeland Security from detaining Isserdasani or revoking his student visa, which was cancelled on April 4.
A US federal judge has stopped the Trump administration from deporting a 21-year-old Indian student whose visa was cancelled just weeks before his graduation.
Krish Lal Isserdasani, an engineering student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, was set to complete his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering in early May, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The judge’s April 15 order blocks the Department of Homeland Security from revoking his student visa or detaining him. His student visa was cancelled on April 4.
According to the report, Madison-based lawyer Shabnam Lotfi filed a request for a temporary restraining order after Isserdasani's record was removed from the government's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVIS) database.
“He was given no warning, no opportunity to explain or defend himself, and no chance to correct any potential misunderstanding before his F-1 student visa record was terminated in SEVIS,” the order said.
The F1 visa is granted to international students enrolled in academic programmes or English language courses at US colleges and universities.
Isserdasani was arrested in November 2024
On November 22, 2024, Isserdasani was arrested for suspected misdemeanour disorderly conduct following a dispute outside a bar involving him, his friends, and another group.
However, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne chose not to file charges against him. Isserdasani was never required to appear in court, according to the court order cited in the report.
In response, Judge William Conley of the Western District of Wisconsin ruled that Isserdasani had not been convicted of any crime and said his claim of wrongful visa cancellation appeared to have a “reasonable likelihood of success.” A hearing on the preliminary injunction is scheduled for April 28.
According to attorney Shabnam Lotfi, this case could mark one of the first nationwide wins for international students whose SEVIS records were suddenly terminated. Around 1,300 students across the US have reportedly faced similar issues.
“We're grateful that the rule of law and justice have prevailed. The government has not provided any legal authority for these unlawful terminations of innocent international students' statuses, and we are pleased that the Court saw that,” Lotfi's colleague, Veronica Sustic, said in an e-mail to the paper.
With PTI inputs
