A federal judge on Friday ruled the Trump administration must reinstate the legal status of an Ohio State University graduate student who was arrested at a 2024 anti-Israel protest.
Ahwar Sultan, of India, filed a civil lawsuit in D.C. District Court on April 15, alleging his F-1 student visa was “abruptly and unlawfully terminated” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after his participation in protests against Israel’s military action in Gaza, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
While Sultan was arrested at an April 25, 2024, protest on campus, his attorneys allege his charges were dismissed and subsequently expunged from his record.
Sultan was arrested at an April 25, 2024 protest on Ohio State University’s campus. (MEGAN JELINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
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One week after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the State Department revoked the visas of hundreds of foreign students, Sultan was told by OSU administrators he no longer had active legal status.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must immediately return Sultan’s visa, and that they cannot modify his record solely based on his arrest at the protest, according to court documents.
The lawsuit was brought by Sultan and the Students for Justice in Palestine at Ohio State University. (AP Photo/Angie Wang, File)
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However, a later hearing will allow Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to explain the reasoning for the status change, and clarify if they intend to initiate removal proceedings against him.
The suit, brought by Sultan and the Students for Justice in Palestine at OSU, names President Donald Trump, Rubio, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Director Todd Lyons.
Sultan joins at least a dozen other Ohio State students whose visas were recently revoked.
It is unclear if the only protest Sultan attended was at Ohio State University in 2024. (MEGAN JELINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
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The decision comes days after a federal judge and Biden appointee in Georgia ordered the administration to reinstate the legal statuses of 133 international students whose F-1 visas were revoked by ICE and DHS.
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OSU did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
