Unexpected: Indian student wins legal battle against deportation

It is already known that the Donald Trump administration in the United States has been going particularly hard against the immigration population. The Trump administration had recently introduced the ideology of deportation and forced evacuation of immigrants who had crossed the designated timelines.

On that note, something interesting has happened with an Indian PhD student who has managed to win the legal battle against the U.S. government.

Going into the story, Priya Saxena, a 28-year-old Indian PhD student at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, has won a legal battle against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which had revoked her F-1 student visa in April 2025.

The DHS cited a minor 2021 traffic violation already resolved with a fine as grounds for the deportation and also deleted her SEVIS record, threatening her ability to graduate. Saxena challenged the action in court, arguing it was unjust and harmful.

A federal judge granted her a temporary restraining order, enabling her to complete her doctoral studies and graduate on May 10. The court later issued a preliminary injunction barring DHS from detaining her without court approval, calling the agency’s actions “likely unlawful.”

The verdict in this case could potentially encourage more Indian students to go against the local administration with regard to the deportation notices. This might not be a problem for the Trump administration, and it has to be seen how they would react to the same.