An IU Indianapolis graduate student from China had her visa revoked and legal status changed by the Trump administration April 3, according to a legal complaint.
Jelena Liu is a second-year graduate student studying informatics. Liu held an F-1 visa, given to international students coming to U.S. schools and universities.
The ACLU of Indiana is representing Liu and six other international students from Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Liu is the only student from an Indianapolis university. Per the ACLU’s complaint, Liu does not have a criminal record. Mirror Indy could not find evidence of a criminal or civil record in Indiana or in federal court records.
Five of the seven students did have a civil or criminal history. This ranged from underage drinking and speeding tickets to criminal trespass and dismissed domestic battery charges.
However, the ACLU complaint argues that none of these offenses would make students eligible to have their statuses revoked.
Per the April 15 complaint, the ACLU said these students had their visas and statuses in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, a database used to track international students, revoked unlawfully by the Department of Homeland Security. Six of the students are from China, and one is from Nigeria.
When a person has their visa revoked, they cannot reenter the U.S., but their legal status does not immediately change. Removing a student’s status in the SEVIS system removes their lawful presence in the U.S., putting them in immediate danger of deportation.
These Indiana students are among over a thousand students nationwide whose legal statuses have been changed by the Trump administration as of April 15.
Last week, IU Bloomington provost Rahul Shrivastav told faculty that a “small number” of students had their visas revoked. Purdue University also acknowledged that some of its students had visas revoked, though did not give details on how many.
In an April 15 faculty council meeting, IU Indianapolis provost Jay Gladden told faculty that seven students at IU Indianapolis had visas revoked. IU Indianapolis chancellor Latha Ramchand said that the university is helping connect affected students with resources, but that much of the process is out of their hands.
“Once the visas are revoked, we have very little we can do to support them directly,” Ramchand said.
IU spokesperson Mark Bode did not respond to Mirror Indy’s request for an interview in time for the publication of this story.
Reached for comment, Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, did not answer specific questions about the reason for Liu’s change in immigration status.
McLaughlin said the agency defers to the State Department on individual cases, but defended the government’s actions overall.
“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live & study in the United States of America,” McLaughlin’s statement said, in part. “When you advocate for violence and terrorism or break our laws that privilege should be revoked and you should not be in this country.”
Liu’s complaint
On April 4, Liu received an email from the director of international student services at IU Indianapolis telling her that her immigration status had been revoked.
The email, included in the legal complaint, cited the reason as being that Liu had committed a crime or had her visa terminated, but did not give specifics. The email advised her to stop working immediately, if employed.
Liu started attending IU Indianapolis — previously IUPUI — for undergrad in 2016. When she switched majors, the complaint said, she accidentally dropped too many classes to remain eligible for F-1 status and lost her visa.
However, Liu’s F-1 status was reinstated in 2018 and she graduated from then-IUPUI in 2022. Since January 2024, when she started her graduate program at IU Indianapolis, she’s maintained her F-1 status continuously.
The ACLU’s complaint requested a court order to protect the seven students’ legal status while the case is pending.
This story was updated April 16 to reflect comments from the Department of Homeland Security.
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.
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