WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in federal court for targeting international pro-Palestine students who had their legal status revoked.
“The consequences of Defendants’ unilateral and unlawful termination are dire. The termination puts students out of lawful student status. Plaintiffs and the class face immigration detention and deportation. Plaintiffs and the class face severe financial and academic hardship. Further, Plaintiffs and the class are not able to obtain their degrees and work pursuant to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program after graduation,” ACLU’s lawyers wrote in the class action lawsuit filed in New Hampshire, according to The Hill. 
“Indeed, Defendants’ unilateral and unlawful terminations have severely disrupted the educational opportunities of students who are in the middle of their studies (and in the middle of a semester) and who are simply trying to obtain, often at considerable expense, an education in the United States while following all the rules required of them,” the attorneys said in the lawsuit filed by several ACLU affiliates. 
Foreign students studying at U.S. universities and colleges have had their legal statuses terminated or their F-1 student visas revoked. As part of Trump’s immigration crackdown, around 1,100 students at more than 170 schools have been impacted since late last month, The Associated Press’ tally has found. 
International students have countered, filing lawsuits in states such as Wisconsin, Montana and New Hampshire and have secured temporary restraining orders that bar them, for now, from being deported from the country.
“The American Civil Liberties Union appears far more interested in protecting foreign students than the civil liberties and safety of Americans. They should consider changing their name,” Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to The Hill. 
McLaughlin added that for “case-specific inquiries related to visa revocation or individual revocation status, DHS defers to the Department of State”. 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters last month that over 300 student visas have been terminated and the figures climbed up daily. 
International students who have participated in on-campus demonstrations protesting the Zionist regime’s war in Gaza have had their visas pulled.