In recent months, a troubling trend has emerged across the United States, where international students, particularly those from India, are experiencing visa cancellations, detentions by ICE, and even deportations, often for reasons that seem administrative, trivial, or ambiguous. Although this issue has not received extensive media coverage, its consequences are profoundly felt on college campuses and within communities nationwide. Recent findings from the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Indian consular sources indicate that since late 2023, at least 160 Indian students have faced visa cancellations or sudden deportation actions, contributing to a total of 327 international students from 16 different countries affected by this misguided policy from the White House, with Indian nationals representing the largest demographic.
Many of these students were engaged in advanced STEM studies, actively participating in research and teaching roles at their universities, having paid full tuition and adhered to regulations, all while aspiring to build careers in the U.S. or utilize their expertise in their home country. Unfortunately, the aspiration of obtaining a U.S. degree is disintegrating for an alarming number of them. One notable case is that of Krish Lal Isserdasani, a 21-year-old Indian student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who was arrested for a minor campus incident but was never formally charged.Despite this, ICE sought to revoke his visa and deport him, prompting a federal judge to step in and issue a temporary stay due to significant due process issues. This situation sends a stark warning to international students: even a minor infraction can jeopardize their entire future. Similarly, Chinmay Deore, an Indian graduate student in Michigan, has joined a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, claiming that his F-1 visa was abruptly terminated without any prior notice. His case is among several filed by students from India and other nations who were unexpectedly informed that they were Many of these students had no prior violations. Some were reportedly flagged by algorithmic systems scanning for “risk factors”—an increasingly opaque and troubling development in immigration enforcement.
