Krish Lal Isserdasani, who is from India, has been studying computer engineering at the UW-Madison since 2021 and plans to graduate on May 10. UW-Madison Engineering Hall. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the cancellation of a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate student’s visa and any actions in relation to that by the Trump administration. 

Krish Lal Isserdasani, who is from India, has been studying computer engineering at the UW-Madison since 2021 with plans to graduate on May 10. On April 4, just a month before graduation, Isserdasani received notification from UW-Madison’s International Student Services office that his visa was cancelled and his authorization to be in the country would end on May 2. He received no communication from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the State Department regarding the visa revocation.  

His cancellation was part of a wave of cancellations at universities across the country as President Donald Trump’s administration targets international students and ramps up deportation efforts in a crackdown on immigration.

U.S. District Judge William Conley wrote in his order Tuesday that Isserdasani has a “reasonable likelihood of success” on his claim that his visa was wrongly terminated and faces “possible devastating irreparable harm” as a result of the cancellation. Conley’s order bans the government from revoking his visa, detaining him or taking any other actions related to the cancellation pending a preliminary hearing April 28.

“The loss of timely academic process alone is sufficient to establish irreparable harm,” Conley wrote. “Given the amount of Isserdasani’s educational expenses and potential losses from having to leave the United States without obtaining his degree, the court concludes that Isserdasani credibly demonstrates that he faces irreparable harm for which he has no adequate remedy at law in the absence of injunctive relief.” 

Since the termination earlier this month, Isserdasani has reported a significant psychological impact on him, according to the order, including “difficulty in sleeping and fear that he will be placed in immediate detention and deportation.” 

“He reports being afraid to leave his apartment for fear of being apprehended at any moment,” the order states.

According to the complaint, Isserdasani and his family have spent about $240,000 on his education in the country. He would lose $17,500 on the current semester’s tuition and would be responsible for four months of rent despite not being able to stay in the country, the complaint states.  

Isserdasani is represented by Madison lawyer Shabnam Lotfi, who said in a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal that the “international students have done absolutely nothing wrong.” 

“They have followed U.S. laws and fully complied with the terms of their student status. They do not deserve this,” Lotfi said. “America must speak out against this injustice and not allow the Administration to distort the facts for their own political purposes.”

Isserdasani is one of dozens of students and alumni at University of Wisconsin institutions to have had their visas canceled by the federal government in recent weeks. There have been at least 26 at UW-Madison, 13 at UW-Milwaukee and several more at other campuses.

UW-Madison first announced cancellations on April 8, saying the university wasn’t notified by the government but had learned about them because staff has been reviewing federal databases every day to see whether students have been affected

According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration’s work to cancel visas has affected  at least 901 students at more than 128 colleges and universities nationwide. Some have been participants in protests about the war in Gaza, and others have had minor infractions, including traffic violations, according to published reports. 

Conley’s order indicates that Isserdasani appears to have had his visa canceled in relation to an arrest for disorderly conduct in November 2024 after he and friends got into an argument with other people while walking home from a bar one night. Madison District Attorney Ismael Ozanne declined to pursue charges after the arrest, and Isserdasani never had to appear in court and thought the issue was dealt with. He has had no other encounters with police, the order says. 

The university’s notification email that Isserdasani received stated that the reason given was “otherwise failing to maintain status” and he was “identified in criminal records check and/or has had their VISA revoked.” It said the termination “does not have a grace period to depart the U.S.” and that “employment benefits, including on-campus employment and any practical training you may have had authorized, end immediately when a SEVIS record is terminated. Therefore, you no longer have authorization to work in the United States.”

The order said Isserdasani “was given no warning, no opportunity to explain or defend himself and no chance to correct any potential misunderstanding.”

The judge’s order also covers the visa cancellation for Hamidreza Khademi, a 34-year-old citizen of Iran and graduate student at Iowa State University, who is also being represented by Lotfi.  Khademi graduated in December 2023, but was working in the country through a visa extension approved in 2024.

Khademi was arrested in February of 2024 and accused of evading arrest in a vehicle in Texas. However, the Texas Department of Public Safety eventually determined that there was no violation and decided against filing charges. His visa was terminated on April 10 and an email notifying him included similar reasoning as the one Isserdasani received. 

The judge reserved a ruling on the motion for a temporary restraining order for Khademi, pending further briefing by the parties, because he questioned whether the western Wisconsin court was the appropriate venue for the case. 

“Plaintiffs include no facts showing that venue is proper for the claims brought by Khademi, who appears to have no ties to the Western District of Wisconsin, nor do the events or omissions giving rise to his claims,” the judge wrote.