This story has been updated to include the latest developments. An Ohio State international student who had his visa revoked by the Trump administration said he has lost faith in the university to help him as he fights for his legal status to remain a student. The event, attended by dozens of supporters on April 24, was held by international student Ahwad Sultan and his legal team to highlight
his ongoing legal battle with the Trump administration . Sultan had a hearing April 23 in his lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, which alleges the Trump administration "targeted Sultan for deportation and retaliation for his participation in peaceful pro-Palestinian protests." "Indeed, I am subject to this risk in the first place because I tried to speak up for Palestine, I thereby invited upon myself a fraction of the violence that Palestinians have been perennially subjected to," Ahwad said. On April 25, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, of the District Court of the District of Columbia,
ordered the Trump administration to return Sultan's status to activ e in the Student and Exchange Information System (SEVIS). Chutkan said she was "highly skeptical" of arguments by the government's attorneys that they continue to wait for definitive answers on whether Sultan is in the country legally. "Defendants point to no legal authority to terminate Sultan’s SEVIS record based on his expunged, and indeed, dismissed April 2024 charges," Chutkan said in her ruling.
"Failed" by his university
Sultan said OSU has "failed him," saying he did not feel they were providing real support despite claiming to. "The first and last time I had heard from OSU admin was two weeks ago in an email from the Office of International Affairs informing me that, because of the powers that be, I cannot continue my student activities," Sultan said. An F-1 visa gives international students the legal ability to enter the U.S. to pursue academic studies at a college or university, said Jana Al-Akhras, Sultan's Columbus-based attorney and a Palestinian American who graduated from Ohio State's Moritz College of Law. In a statement, OSU said that the university "offered resources and support to all affected students" and Student Legal Services is providing independent legal advice upon request. "Caring for our students is the university’s highest priority," the university statement said. The termination notice instructed Sultan to cease all F-1-related activities and campus employment immediately, meaning he wasn't allowed to attend classes or work. Jana Al-Akhras, an attorney from New York-based Urena & Associates representing Sultan and Ohio State's Students for Justice in Palestine, said "the Trump administration has opened up a Pandora's box" when it comes to international student speech rights. "(They) have just assumed that they can operate with impunity and that they are not subject to the laws," Al-Akhras said. "Students have due process. Non-citizens also have due process, and non-citizens certainly have first amendment rights when they're in this country." On April 25, the Trump administration
indicated it would restore the student visa registrations of those whose
legal status was abruptly changed or terminated , potentially impacting thousands of international students around the country. Sultan, who is from India, is
one of at least 12 Ohio State international students and among hundreds nationwide who've had their visas or immigration status revoked by the Trump administration in the last several weeks.
He filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Trump administration for revoking his student visa, accusing the administration of
targeting him for retaliation for his participation in pro-Palestine protests last spring . "I now fear abduction and subsequent deportation by ICE," Sultan said. "It is true that I risk deportation even as I stand here in front of you, and partly because I stand here in front of you, the risk is still there, even though my case is in court, even if there might be a temporary restraining order." During the press event, an Ohio State University police officer came over to the crowd and informed an organizer with the Ohio State Students for Justice in Palestine that they needed to stop using the speaker system or they would be considered trespassing. OSU has a restriction on sound amplification during scheduled events. Jineen Musa, a leader of the Ohio State Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, said that if OSU "genuinely cared for its international students, it would have taken legal action against the blatantly xenophobic attacks waged by the Trump administration." "OSU has consistently failed to protect students, students like Ahwad with any protection, legal counsel or even direct communication. They have capitulated and have opted for complacency and compliance," Musa said.
(This story was updated to correct the spelling of Ahwad Sultan's name and to add a photo gallery.)
