Adrian
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must reinstate the legal status of Ahwar Sultan, an Ohio State University graduate student whose F-1 visa was revoked following his arrest at an anti-Israel protest in 2024. The decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, mandates the immediate restoration of Sultan’s visa and prohibits the administration from modifying his immigration record based solely on his protest-related arrest.
Ahwar Sultan, a citizen of India, filed a civil lawsuit in the D.C. District Court on April 15, alleging that his visa was unlawfully terminated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after his participation in protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Court documents reveal that Sultan was arrested during an April 25, 2024, protest on the OSU campus, but his charges were later dismissed and expunged from his record.
The lawsuit claims that Sultan was informed by OSU administrators that he no longer held active legal status just one week after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the revocation of hundreds of foreign student visas. The State Department’s decision was part of a broader crackdown on international students amid rising antisemitism on college campuses.
Judge Chutkan’s ruling requires the administration to reinstate Sultan’s visa immediately. However, a subsequent hearing will allow Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to explain the reasoning behind the status change and clarify whether they intend to pursue removal proceedings against him.
The lawsuit was filed by Ahwar Sultan and the Students for Justice in Palestine at OSU, naming President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Director Todd Lyons as defendants. Sultan is among at least a dozen Ohio State students whose visas were recently revoked.
This ruling follows a similar decision by a federal judge in Georgia, appointed by President Joe Biden, which ordered the reinstatement of legal statuses for 133 international students whose F-1 visas were revoked by ICE and DHS.
OSU has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the case. The legal battle highlights ongoing tensions over immigration policies and student activism on U.S. campuses.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Sources:
[Fox News Digital](https://www.foxnews.com)
[Court Documents](source-link-if-available)
