DePaul student to fight visa termination in court this week, his attorney says​on April 16, 2025 at 5:03 am

CHICAGO (WLS) — The Trump administration has revoked what is said to be hundreds of student visas around the country, including students who attend Chicago area universities. Some are using the courts to fight back.

DePaul University is where an international student, Vishnu Nali, chose to pursue a Master of Science degree in business analytics. He was set to graduate in June.

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“He is a native of India. He’s been in the country since his coursework began in the fall of 2023 and has not left the country since then,” said Jeff Brown, Nali’s attorney.

Nali’s F-1 student visa allows him to stay working in his field for three more years, but the Trump administration wants the student gone now. Last week, his visa was revoked. No specific reason was given, but according to his attorney, it may have to with a minor shoplifting offense that was thrown out.

“There is no conviction here. This is an accusation. I’ve litigated cases before on behalf of people who’ve been accused of crimes. That is not a basis for a deportation,” Brown said.

The DePaul student is fighting back. He is filing a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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He is not alone. A Northwestern University student is also taking legal action against the Trump administration, as are dozens of students around the country. The American Civil Liberties Union is hearing about hundreds of student visa revocations all over the U.S during the past week.

“There seems to be an effort not just to revoke these, but also to try to do it as quietly and with the least amount of transparency as possible,” said Ed Yohnka with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.

While there has been a wide variety of possible reasons students say their visas are being revoked, the Trump administration has not given many specifics.

“Vast majority of the students that you’re hearing about that are having their visas pulled, have not been arrested for anything,” said Gov. JB Pritzker.

Hoping to hear more about motive in court, the DePaul student’s attorney says his client is prepared for a fight.

“It’s obviously a pretty steep, uphill fight when you’re a single student from India fighting the United States government,” Brown said.

The DePaul student’s case will be in federal court on Friday. The ACLU hopes as the lawsuits play out, the public will learn more information about the scope of the visa revocations and the motive behind them.