Lawsuit: UI international students warned of deportation ‘to countries other than their countries of origin’

IOWA CITY — Three of four University of Iowa international students who filed a federal complaint against the government this week for terminating their F-1 status without explanation said their visas were revoked and they were warned of being deported to “countries other than their countries of origin.”

“They all received identical messages from U.S. embassies, warning them that, ‘Remaining in the United States can result in fines, detention, and/or deportation’,” according to the lawsuit, “and further warning that ‘deportation can take place at a time that does not allow the person being deported to secure possessions or conclude affairs in the United States.

“Persons being deported may be sent to countries other than their countries of origin’.”

In the complaint filed with the U.S. District Court’s Southern District of Iowa on Monday against the Department of Homeland Security, its Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, the students — identified as John Doe #1-#4 — argue they haven’t done anything to violate their student statuses, haven’t committed any serious criminal offenses, and have remained in good academic standing.

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“DHS’ targeting and abuse of plaintiffs is unlawful,” according to the lawsuit asking the court to grant a restraining order and injunction against the revocation — restoring their student statuses and preventing their removal.

“By terminating plaintiffs’ (Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems, or SEVIS) records, DHS has effectively ended their student statuses,” according to the lawsuit. “By forcing them out of status, DHS has created pretext for future adverse immigration actions against them.”

That, according to the students’ attorneys, has created financial and emotional hardship.

“Plaintiffs are now experiencing intense mental and financial suffering because they cannot continue with their studies and fear being detained and removed if they do so.”

Although the students aren’t named in the lawsuit, their attorneys provide descriptions of each.

Each has had minor non-violent run-ins with law enforcement — including operating while intoxicated or under the influence, driving without a valid driver’s license, and disorderly conduct.

“Doe #1, Doe #3, and Doe #4 were convicted of operating while Intoxicated,” according to the lawsuit. “Doe #1 was sentenced to a 12-hour OWI diversion course. Doe #3’s conviction was deferred in exchange for one year of probation. Doe #4’s conviction was expunged.”

Doe #2 was convicted of disorderly conduct and ordered to pay a fine.

‘Unprecedented and sweeping campaign’

This week’s UI student lawsuit comes as more than 1,500 students from hundreds of colleges and universities nationally have reported sudden and unexpected changes to their SEVIS listing or visa status.

That count encompasses dozens in Iowa and neighboring states — including five at the University of Iowa, two at Iowa State University, and two at Mount Mercy University. Across the Big Ten, the University of Michigan has reported 22 terminations; Michigan State has reported 12; the University of Wisconsin has reported 14; and the University of Minnesota has reported 11, according to Inside Higher Ed.

The UI students are not alone in fighting the changes in court. A federal district judge in Georgia last week issued a temporary restraining order blocking the termination of 133 international students’ legal status.

“In April 2025, the U.S. government — principally through DHS, ICE, and the Department of State — initiated an unprecedented and sweeping campaign of student visa revocations and SEVIS status terminations, destabilizing the lives of hundreds of international students and universities across the country,” according to the UI student lawsuit.

“The lack of transparency and procedural safeguards created chaos within educational institutions and upended the lives of lawful F-1 visa holders.”

Universities — reliant on international students for their tuition revenue, research expertise, and graduate teaching assistance across campus, among other things — scrambled to grasp their responsibilities and ability to help affected students.

“The federal government has adopted a policy of coercing international students into self-deportation by leveraging ambiguous student status revocations in the SEVIS system, coupled with visa revocation notices and threatening language,” according to the lawsuit.

‘Without legal justification’

The UI international students are bringing their complaint under the “Administrative Procedure Act and Due Process Clause” of the Fifth Amendment — to challenge DHS’ termination of their F-1 student status.

“To be clear, plaintiffs are not challenging the revocation of their F-1 student visas in this action.”

The lawsuit reported each affected UI student learned on April 10 from the university that their status had been terminated — but that the university had not been the one to take the action.

“The U.S. government did not communicate the SEVIS termination to any of the plaintiffs,” according to the lawsuit.

Four days later, three of the affected students’ visas were revoked — again without explanation.

“The SEVIS terminations are without legal justification,” according to the lawsuit. “They come without regard to constitutional guarantees of procedural due process.”

Congress created SEVIS, per the lawsuit, as an administrative tool for international student visa oversight and compliance — rather than a “discretionary enforcement tool or a weapon of immigration policy.”

The regulations prescribe distinct circumstances in which DHS can terminate a student’s status, according to the lawsuit, reporting, “none apply to plaintiffs.”

“The revocation of a visa does not constitute failure to maintain status and cannot therefore be a basis for SEVIS termination,” according to the students’ attorneys.

John Doe #1

In fighting for their clients, attorneys of the UI students described in more detail the circumstances that brought them to Iowa City.

John Doe #1 — through his fourth-year doctoral studies in chemical engineering — serves as both a teaching and research assistant. He’s on a team developing a new portable electrochemical oxygen concentrator that he believes could have far-reaching implications — like in hospitals and airplanes.

His inspiration to work on oxygen delivery systems came from his mother, who “tragically died of COVID-19,” according to the lawsuit.

Having first arrived in the country on an F-1 visa in 2021, the student never has fallen out of compliance and wants his status restored “so he can continue to work in his lab and develop these lifesaving systems.”

Joe Doe #1 hasn’t violated the terms of his status, according to the lawsuit, reporting his criminal history includes a misdemeanor operating while intoxicated conviction — for which he attended a 12-hour OWI diversion course.

“Since he received notice of his SEVIS termination, Doe #1 has been experiencing intense levels of stress, anxiety, and mental anguish,” according to the lawsuit. “He cannot sleep and is having difficulty breathing and eating. He has ceased going to school and has stopped his teaching assistant and research assistant work.

“He is scared to lose his research.”

John Doe #2

John Doe #2 — a Chinese national — is just months from graduating with his bachelor’s in economics, having first entered the country on an F-1 visa in September 2017. The State Department issued his most recent visa last summer in June.

He learned of his student status termination and visa revocation on April 10 and April 14, when deportation also was threatened. Since that time, he’s stopped attending classes — threatening his graduation and plans to apply for “optional practical training” in the form of temporary work to gain additional experience in his field of study.

John Doe #2 also was convicted of minor offenses — including disorderly conduct in July 2024, for which he paid a fine, and driving without a driver’s license.

“The SEVIS record termination has caused Doe #2’s depression and anxiety to worsen to the point that his doctor has felt it necessary to increase his depression prescription,” according to the lawsuit. “As a result of the unlawful termination of his SEVIS record, Doe #2 has been unable to sleep well and has remained in his apartment out of fear that he will be detained by ICE."

John Doe #3

John Doe #3 — a Chinese national pursuing a bachelor’s in exercise science and kinesiology — was planning to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy after graduating in December 2026.

He first came to the United States on an F-1 visa in 2022 and has remained enrolled since that time, according to the lawsuit. Like the others, he received notice of his student status termination and visa revocation on April 10 and 14.

Also like the others, John Doe #3 has interacted with law enforcement — pleading guilty to a first offense of operating while under the influence, landing him a deferred judgment pending a year probation. He also has two speeding tickets, a failure to yield citation, and a ticket for driving without a valid license.

“While he has been able to attend class remotely, he does not know if he will be able to continue his studies,” according to the lawsuit. “He is struggling to focus on school and daily tasks and has lost his appetite.”

John Doe #4

The fourth John Doe is from India and pursuing a UI master’s of public health, with a concentration in epidemiology. The State Department issued him an F-1 Visa 2021 and he completed his degree in epidemiology in August 2023.

Until his student status termination, Doe #4 was working for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services as an epidemiologist in compliance with his “optional practical training” authorization.

“In his role at Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Doe #4 was analyzing drug overdose death trends in Iowa and helping develop prevention strategies,” according to the lawsuit.

Since receiving his termination and revocation notices, Doe #4 has been on unpaid leave.

“His only interaction with law enforcement was an arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated … which was expunged,” according to the lawsuit. “This offense is not a violent crime, and it is not punishable by more than a year in prison.”

The federal revocation in recent days "has put his own career and ability to continue studying and working in the United States at risk.“

“Further, his data analysis efforts, which aimed to prevent future drug-related deaths across the state, have come to a halt,” according to the lawsuit. “Doe #4 has not been able to sleep due to feelings of constant worry and stress. He will be unable to pay his debts if he cannot get his job back."

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com