The Cases to Watch as Trump Targets International Students

Demonstrators demand the release of detained Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil and the other students during a protest in New York City.Photographer: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Patricia Hurtado, Zoe Tillman, and Alicia A. Caldwell

April 24, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT

Updated on

April 24, 2025 at 11:54 PM EDT

International students targeted by President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration agenda are turning to US courts to fight the administration’s efforts.

In several high-profile legal fights, students have sued after being detained by immigration authorities for their involvement in pro-Palestinian activities. Meanwhile, more than 30 lawsuits have been filed over the past two weeks by students and recent graduates who say they fear being arrested or deported after their legal status was canceled — sometimes, they say, with little or no notice or explanation.