Ph.D. student Xiaotian Liu GR’s F-1 student status was abruptly revoked by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on April 4, according to a press release from the New Hampshire chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. A second student’s record was also terminated, according to a statement from a College spokesperson.
Liu — who may now face detention or deportation — is a citizen of China and worked as a research assistant in the computer science department. The ACLU of New Hampshire and Shaheen and Gordon, a New England-based law firm, filed a lawsuit against the DHS on behalf of Liu on Monday. The lawsuit petitions for the court to reinstate Liu’s student status.
“At this time, Dartmouth is aware of two international community members who have had their records terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. Dartmouth was not notified of these record changes. They were discovered by Dartmouth staff during a proactive check of the [Student and Exchange Visitor Information System] database,” College spokesperson Jana Barnello wrote in a statement.
The complaint document stated that Liu had never committed “a traffic violation, let alone a crime, in the United States. Nor has he participated in any protest in the United States or elsewhere.” With his F-1 student status terminated, Liu cannot continue his Ph.D. program or work as a research assistant, which are his only sources of income, according to the complaint.
“We are alarmed by the Trump administration’s sudden revocation, without any notice or stated explanation, of student visas and status at universities across the country, including our client here in New Hampshire,” Legal Director of the ACLU of New Hampshire Gilles Bissonnette wrote in the press release.
The complaint document further stated that Liu had not violated any of the rules in the maintenance of his F-1 student status. Liu’s student status was terminated under SEVIS — an online portal of DHS that maintains information on international students in the United States, including students on the F-1 visa.
The College informed Liu that it discovered his F-1 status in the system had been terminated by the DHS. His record read, “OTHERWISE FAILING TO MAINTAIN STATUS – Individual identified in criminal records check and/or has had their VISA revoked. SEVIS record has been terminated,” according to the complaint.
“The College emphasized that ‘this [wa]s not standard or normal procedure,’ and that, ‘[o]ver the last several days[,] universities have been reporting similar record terminations for their international students,’” the complaint wrote.
At least 147 international students have had their student immigration status revoked in recent days, the New York Times reported on April 7.
The two cases come as the Trump administration has revoked visas from students across the country, including at Arizona State University, North Carolina State University, the University of Colorado, the University of Oregon and the University of Texas, according to the Associated Press.
The College does not have further information as to why Liu’s student status was revoked, according to the complaint. Barnello wrote that the Office of Visa and Immigration Services will continue to monitor SEVIS.
“As was shared with our international community in a message earlier today, OVIS continues to monitor SEVIS and will immediately email any affected student or scholar in the event a SEVIS record is terminated,” she wrote.
Liu last traveled internationally to Vancouver, Canada, to attend an academic conference in December 2024. He last renewed his F-1 visa during a routine renewal in China in June 2024.
Liu earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wake Forest University, according to his LinkedIn profile. He denied a request for comment.
This is an updating story and more information will be posted soon.
Update Appended (April 7, 7:35 p.m.): This article has been updated to include a statement from the College and information about the second student’s visa termination.
