A federal judge in California will hear arguments Friday morning in a lawsuit filed by several international students against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the sudden revocation of their F-1 student visas earlier this month.
One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit is Jiarong Ouyang, a doctoral candidate in statistics at the University of Cincinnati. Ouyang is from China and has been studying in the United States since 2012, earning degrees from the University of California, Riverside, before coming to Cincinnati.
The complaint filed by Ouyang's attorney describes him as a lawful resident of Cincinnati with no prior criminal convictions, claiming Ouyang and other students had their visas revoked due to "blanket terminations based on speculative or irrelevant factors."
Ouyang was awarded the Comer-Reynolds Memorial Award by the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Statistical Association in 2024 for his contributions to the mathematics field and has been a graduate assistant intern at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center since 2022, collaborating with physicians on pediatric health research. He also has a wife and young children.
The lawsuit claims Ouyang's student visa was revoked based on a "previously dismissed arrest," according to UC's international office.
Ouyang previously had his visa terminated in 2019 after he was arrested for an alleged domestic dispute, but those charges were formally dismissed, and he was never convicted of a crime. He later had his F-1 student visa reinstated.
A court issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from arresting the student plaintiffs or transporting them out of the court district for two weeks while arguments are heard.
In early April, University of Cincinnati President Neville Pinto sent a message to the university community saying a "small number" of international students had their visas revoked by the Department of Homeland Security without specific reasons.
A spokesperson for UC declined to answer how many international students had their visas terminated this month, directing questions back to Pinto's previous message.
Pinto briefly addressed the matter at UC's Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday morning.
"Clearly, this is a tremendous concern and we're doing what we can to support these students," he said. "Anyone with concerns should connect with our international services team."
Ouyang's case and several related student visa cases filed with the court will go before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White at 9 a.m. Friday in California.
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