An international student in South Dakota, who earned two degrees amid her fight against the Trump administration’s attempt to deport her, has been granted injunction.
Priya Saxena, who’s from India, received a doctorate in chemical and biological engineering and a master’s in chemical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology this past weekend. Just over a month ago, Saxena had been notified that her visa and status in the country had been revoked.
Saxena’s attorney, Jim Leach, told NBC News that her sole infraction was for a failure-to-yield to an emergency vehicle from four years ago, which he described as “the lowest possible traffic offense.”
Saxena, who sued the Trump administration, was granted a temporary restraining order until the end of this week, allowing her to collect her degrees. And on Thursday morning, she was granted a preliminary injunction that keeps the government from attempting to detain or deport her.
Saxena had been in the country on a student visa that wasn’t set to expire until 2027. But on April 7, she received an email from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, notifying her that her visa had been revoked, according to court documents.
She was later told by a school official that her record had been terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which maintains information about nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors.
While Saxena received the traffic infraction in 2021, she paid a fine and, upon applying for her most recent visa, disclosed the information to the government, the court documents said.
Posted by John3262005