Four international students living in Connecticut are suing the federal government after learning their student visas are now in jeopardy.
In a complaint filed last week, the students accused officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of unlawfully terminating their student status, stripping them of their ability to pursue their studies and maintain employment in the United States.
The plaintiffs, who are among more than 100 international students who joined the suit, say they’re now at risk of arrest, detention and deportation.
“This is all part of the Trump administration's plan to get rid of all immigrants in America, not just undocumented immigrants,” said lawyer Charles Kuck, who is representing them in court. “And nobody should be surprised by that.”
According to court documents, three of the Connecticut students are from India and live in New Haven. A fourth is a Chinese citizen living in Vernon and attending the University of Connecticut. They filed the suit anonymously in a federal court in Georgia, which is set to hear arguments next week on their request for a preliminary injunction.
The students allege immigration officials unlawfully terminated their records in a government database that tracks compliance with the F-1 visa program, which allows nonimmigrants to stay in the United States while pursuing academic studies.
Terminating the records “effectively ends F-1 student status” and serves to revoke their student visas, the plaintiffs argue. Kuck said the students have received no explanation for the move, and no notice, as required by the program.
In a written statement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin pushed back on the lawsuit’s allegations. McLaughlin did not directly address the circumstances of the students in Connecticut, but suggested criminal activity and advocacy for “violence and terrorism” were a focus for enforcement.
“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live [and] study in the United States of America,” McLaughlin said. “When you break our laws and advocate for violence and terrorism that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.”
According to the lawsuit, all four Connecticut residents previously faced criminal charges, which were ultimately disposed of or dismissed.
The University of Connecticut student, identified in court as John Doe, was involved in a 2017 domestic dispute where he was arrested and charged along with the other party, according to the complaint. The student was not convicted, and all charges were dismissed the following year, the complaint says. The student planned to graduate from UConn in August 2025. He learned April 9 that his status was terminated.
A student in New Haven said in court he was charged last year with a series of driving offenses, including driving without a license, but those charges were dismissed. The student planned to graduate in May, but received an email from a U.S. Embassy in India informing him his visa was revoked, according to the suit.
Two other New Haven residents completed their studies, but remain in the country on valid visas, which allow students to keep working in their field for a period of time after graduation.
One was arrested for evading the scene of a car crash. The case was disposed in October 2024, and the student graduated the same month, the complaint states. He learned via an April 9 email from his college that his student record was terminated, according to the suit.
The other was notified April 4 by a US embassy in India that his visa had been revoked, according to the suit. He was later informed his student record was terminated due to a criminal record check, according to the suit. The student was previously arrested on domestic violence related charges, which were dismissed April 8 after he completed a diversionary program, according to the suit.
Kuck said uncertainty is adding to his client’s anxiety as they wait for a decision from the court in Georgia.
“Think about yourself, going to a foreign country, trying to get an education there, and then being told that the enforcement authorities want you to leave,” he said. “What would you do?”
At least 50 international students in Connecticut have had their visas revoked, according to officials at UConn and other local colleges. DHS has not disclosed the total number of students affected.
In a statement posted online, UConn said previously that “while the number of impacted students here is small, consequences for those impacted are significant.”
UConn says it is regularly monitoring the database of international students used by DHS. Once UConn notices a change on a student’s status, the university alerts the student or visiting scholar and offers them support services. The university also notifies the student or scholar’s department head and dean.
In February, UConn also established a “rapid response team” to address immigration policy changes that could affect colleges and universities.
