CONCORD, N.H. - In a court victory for an international Ph.D. student researching computer science in New Hampshire, a federal judge in Concord granted a preliminary injunction today to restore his F-1 legal status and allow him to continue his studies for the duration of the lawsuit.
The student, Xiaotian Liu, is one of what appears to be thousands of students across the country who had his status unlawfully and abruptly terminated on April 4 by the Trump administration. The court’s ruling today fully restores his legal status for the duration of the lawsuit and finds that the government had indeed terminated his legal status inconsistently with regulations.
Gilles Bissonnette, Legal Director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, said, “We are thrilled that this court ruling means Xiaotian can continue researching what he loves - computer science - right here in New Hampshire. The court made clear today that no administration can circumvent the law to unilaterally punish students who have followed all of the rules and strip them of their legal status, disrupt their studies, and put them at risk of deportation.”
Ronald L. Abramson, Chair of the Immigration Law Group at Shaheen & Gordon, said, “This is an important moment for our client and for the Rule of Law. We are extremely pleased that the court saw through the government’s unfounded efforts to impede the academic progress and myriad contributions of the international student community.”
Liu, a citizen of China, is a doctoral student studying and researching computer science at Dartmouth College. On Friday, April 4, he was informed by his university over email that his student status had been terminated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Liu, the ACLU of New Hampshire, and law firm Shaheen & Gordon filed a lawsuit on April 7, and after an emergency hearing, the court issued a temporary restoration of his status on April 10. The filings argued that his F-1 student immigration status was unlawfully and abruptly terminated with no specified reason as to why - despite having never committed a crime or traffic violation and having never participated in any protest in the United States or elsewhere.
In a similar case filed on April 18, four ACLU affiliates and law firm Shaheen & Gordon filed a federal class action lawsuit seeking to represent over 100 students in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico for the same abrupt and unlawful status terminations. The lawsuit asks the court to reinstate their F-1 student status, which would allow them to continue their studies.
The ACLU of New Hampshire’s April 25 statement on the announcement of SEVIS record reactivations can be found here: https://www.aclu-nh.org/en/press-releases/aclu-nh-statement-announcement-sevis-record-reactivations
