Who Is Krish Isserdasani, Indian Student Whose US Deportation Was Paused In Landmark Case

Washington:

Krish Lal Isserdasani, a 21-year-old Indian student studying in the United States, won a major battle against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration after a federal judge blocked the government's attempt to deport him. Student visa of Isserdasani, a student of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was cancelled just weeks before he was set to graduate.

The April 15 court order prevented the Department of Homeland Security from revoking the student visa or detaining Isserdasani, who was expected to graduate in early May.

About Krish Lal Isserdasani

Krish Lal Isserdasani is an Indian student studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the F-1 student visa programme. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer engineering and is set to graduate in early May. 

According to the court order, the engineering student was arrested on November 22, 2024, on suspicion of misdemeanour and disorderly conduct after he, along with some of his friends, got into an argument with some people after leaving a bar. However, he was not convicted in the case.

Isserdasan's student visa was cancelled on April 4. He approached the court through his attorney, Shabnam Lotfi, seeking a temporary restraining order on deportation after his record was terminated in the government's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVIS) database. 

US District Judge William Conley, in his Tuesday ruling, called the Trump administration's actions against Isserdasani unjust and noted that the Indian Student was denied due process in the revocation of his visa. 

"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 court noted that the abrupt cancellation of the student's visa jeopardised his academic future and posed significant financial and personal harm.

"Given the amount of Isserdasani's educational expenses and potential losses from having to leave the United States without obtaining his degree, the court concludes that Isserdasani credibly demonstrates that he faces irreparable harm for which he has no adequate remedy at law in the absence of injunctive relief," the judge wrote.

The court set a preliminary injunction hearing in the case for April 28.

Big Win For International Students 

Since President Trump returned to the White House in January, visas of over 1,300 international students have been revoked across the US amid a wider crackdown on immigration. Isserdasani was among around 26 international students at UW-Madison and 40 across the University of Wisconsin campuses, whose F-1 visas were revoked by the Trump administration in recent months.

His visa was revoked without warning or an opportunity to respond after his name appeared in a criminal record, drawing attention to the broader issue of the racial profiling of foreign students, many of whom were allegedly targeted for political activities or minor past offences.

Isserdasani's attorney, Lotfi, said that the order is believed to be one of the first national victories for international student visa holders whose records were terminated.

"We're grateful that the rule of law and justice have prevailed," Lotfi's colleague, Veronica Sustic, said.

"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."