Chinmay Deore, an Indian student, has teamed up with three other international students—two from China and one from Nepal—to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and immigration officials. They claim that their student immigration status was wrongfully removed from a government system without prior notice or a clear explanation.

The lawsuit has been filed with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan.

Who are the other students?

Joining Chinmay in the case are Xiangyun Bu and Qiuyi Yang from China, along with Yogesh Joshi from Nepal. All of them say their records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) were terminated without any clear reason being given.

Who is Chinmay Deore?

Chinmay, a 21-year-old undergraduate student studying computer science at Wayne State University in Michigan since August 2021, first came to the U.S. with his family in 2004 on an H-4 dependent visa. The family returned to India in 2008 but relocated back to the U.S. in 2014, according to the lawsuit.

After finishing high school in Michigan, Chinmay continued his studies at Wayne State University while still under the H-4 visa.

Transition to student visa

In May 2022, Chinmay applied to transition from H-4 status to an F-1 student visa, as he was nearing the age limit for H-4 eligibility. He was granted F-1 status and intended to complete his degree by May 2025.

Chinmay lives in Canton, Michigan, with his immediate family.

No history of violations

The lawsuit states that Chinmay has never been charged with or convicted of any crime in the United States. Other than one speeding ticket and one parking ticket, both of which he paid off quickly, he hasn’t had any legal issues, no violations of civil, traffic, or immigration laws.

The lawsuit also clearly states:

“He has not been active in on-campus protests regarding any political issue.”

What the lawsuit claims

The students are asking the court to review what they believe is a wrongful termination of their legal student status. They say this action has put their education and futures at risk, and they want their cases to be properly looked into by the authorities.

 

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