Priya Saxena, a 28-year-old Indian PhD student in chemical and biological engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, has won a significant legal reprieve after facing deportation by the Trump administration. A federal court has now granted her permission to remain in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had abruptly revoked Saxena’s valid F-1 student visa in April, citing a “criminal record.”
The alleged infraction, however, was a minor traffic violation from 2021 — failing to yield to an emergency vehicle — for which she had paid a fine. Under U.S. immigration law, such minor infractions are not grounds for deportation, her attorney told The Guardian.
Following the visa revocation, her Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) record was also deleted, which jeopardized her ability to graduate on May 10.
In response, Saxena filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in mid-April. A federal judge granted her a temporary restraining order, allowing her to complete her doctoral program and graduate last weekend.
This week, the same federal court issued a preliminary injunction preventing DHS from arresting or detaining Saxena without court approval.
The judge ruled that the agency’s actions "appear unlawful and are likely to cause Saxena irreparable harm," according to court filings.
Since returning to office in January, the Trump administration has escalated its crackdown on immigration, with international students also in the crosshairs.
Thousands of visas and SEVIS records have been revoked over relatively minor issues, including traffic violations or campus activism.
DHS recently admitted in court that it had scanned over one million international students through an FBI database, resulting in 6,400 matches and the revocation of approximately 3,000 visas — even though many affected students were legally residing in the U.S.
Saxena’s legal win now serves as a rare success story amid growing concern over what critics call an overly aggressive and punitive immigration enforcement approach.
