International students who have deprived their legal status in the United States are winning in court

Atlanta (AP) – Anjan Roy is studying with friends at Missouri State University when he received an email that turned the world upside down. His legal status as an international student has been fired and he is suddenly at risk of being deported.

“I was shocked, like, what the hell is this?” said Roy, a graduate student in computer science in Bangladesh.

At first, he avoided going out in public, skipping classes, and mostly turned off his phone. The court’s ruling in his favor led to his status reinstatement this week, and he returned to the apartment, but he is still asking roommates to show visitors.

More than a thousand international students have been suspicious of the widespread repression of the Trump administration in recent weeks, with their academic careers and their lives in the United States experiencing similar disruptions. Some have found a successful measure in court, with federal judges across the country regaining their legal status at least temporarily.

In addition to the cases filed in Atlanta, Roy is among the 133 plaintiffs, the judge issued temporary restraining orders in states including New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The judge denied similar claims in some other cases, saying it was unclear that the loss of status would cause irreparable harm.

Reasons for international students to challenge their identity revocation

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the State Department is revoking visas held by tourists with opposite national interests, including some protesters against Israel’s war in Gaza and those facing criminal charges. But many affected students say they are only involved in minor violations or are completely unaware of their goals.

Attorneys for Roy and his plaintiff, Charles Kuck, believe that the government has no legal reason to terminate the identity of students.

He speculated in court last week that the government was trying to encourage the students to deceive themselves, saying: “The pressure on these students is overwhelming.” He said some asked him if he could safely leave his home to eat food, while others were worried that they would not get a degree after years of work, or that their career opportunities in the United States would be shot.

“I think I hope they’ll leave,” Cook said. “The reality is that these kids are invested.”

Government attorney R. David Powell believes students have not suffered significant harm because they can transfer their credits or find jobs in another country.

According to the Associated Press statement to the university, at least 1,100 students have revoked or terminated their legal status in 174 universities, universities and university systems, in their communications with school officials and court records. The Associated Press is working to confirm reports of hundreds of students trapped in repression.

In a lawsuit filed Monday by four people with a student visa at the University of Iowa, the attorney detailed the “mental and financial pain” they experienced. A graduate student from India “cannot fall asleep, have difficulty breathing and eating”, the lawsuit states. He has stopped attending school, conducting research or serving as a teaching assistant. Another student, a Chinese undergraduate who is expected to graduate in December, said his status worsened his depression to the doctor increasing the dose of drugs. The lawsuit says the student did not turn the apartment out of fear of being detained.

Minor violations make students the target of repression

Roy, 23, started at Missouri State in August 2024 and is an undergraduate computer science student. He is active in chess clubs and fraternities and has a vast friend. After graduating in December, he began his master’s degree in January and is expected to be completed in May 2026.

When Roy received the university’s April 10 email about his termination of his identity, one of his friends was willing to skip the class and go with him to the school’s International Services office, even if they took the quiz in 45 minutes. Staff there said the database check showed that his student identity was terminated, but they didn’t know why.

Roy said his only brushing of the law was in 2021, when someone was questioned about campus security after a dispute at a university housing building. But an official confirmed there was no evidence of any crime and did not file charges.

Roy also received an email from the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh telling him that his visa has been revoked and that he can be detained at any time. It warned that if he was deported, he could be sent to a country other than himself. Roy thought of leaving the United States, but decided to stay after talking to the lawyer.

Roy is worried about being in his apartment with his second cousin and his nearby husband.

“They were afraid that someone would pick me up from the street and take me to places they didn’t even know,” Roy said.

He mostly stays inside, turns off his phone, and avoids internet browsers that track user data through cookies unless he needs to use it. He said his professor was understanding when he told them he wouldn’t be able to attend class for a while.

New doubts about students’ future in the United States

He moved back to his apartment after the judge’s order on Friday. He learned on Tuesday that his identity had been restored and he planned to return to class. But he was still nervous. He asked his two roommates, two international students, to know if they didn’t recognize knocks before they opened the door.

It is temporary for a judge to restore his legal status. Another hearing scheduled for Thursday will determine whether he will remain that state as the lawsuit continues.

Roy chose other options in the United States and Australia because of the potential for research opportunities and professional connections that he eventually wanted to teach at a U.S. university. But now these plans are pending.

He said his parents returned to Dhaka and were watching the news and were “scamdled”. His father mentioned to him that they had family members in Melbourne, Australia, including a cousin, who was an assistant professor at a university there. ___

Christopher L, AP reporter in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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