Indian students in US at risk of deportation? Trump admin seeks names, nationality of student protesters

A sweeping request by the Trump administration for colleges to disclose the names and nationalities of student protesters has triggered alarm among legal experts and immigrant communities. The move, seen by many as a tool for possible deportations, comes amid a wider crackdown on campus activism—putting over 330,000 Indian students in the US under renewed scrutiny.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the administration has asked universities to identify students who may have harassed Jewish peers or joined pro-Palestinian protests. Critics warn the data could be used as a “tip sheet” to deport foreign students.

Indian nationals—numbering 331,602 and forming the largest group of international students in the US—are especially at risk.

One Indian student, Ranjani Srinivasan from Columbia, self-deported after her visa was revoked. Another researcher, Badar Khan Suri, is facing deportation due to alleged ties to a senior Hamas official.

Legal experts have questioned the nature of the administration’s request. “My first thought was, ‘This is a witch hunt’,” an attorney told WSJ. Normally, campus harassment investigations focus on complaints and institutional responses—not student ethnicity or nationality.

Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, defended the move, saying it was necessary to assess how universities are handling antisemitism cases.

Trump's ongoing crackdown

The request comes amid escalating actions by the administration. On March 3, the government revoked $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, only restoring it after policy shifts. Several colleges have since seen renewed protests.

Trainor issued a memo warning universities that vague commitments and “toothless reform proposals” would no longer be tolerated. Sixty universities have since been warned of potential sanctions for failing to protect Jewish students. Many of these institutions enrol large numbers of Indian students.

The administration has also moved against protestors, including Green Card holders like Mahmoud Khalil, accusing them of supporting Hamas.

In an unusual step, investigators are now requesting names, ethnicities, and nationalities of flagged students—even if they haven’t been found guilty of any misconduct. “There is no investigative reason for us to be asking for that information,” one attorney said. Another warned it could violate civil rights laws.

While Trainor cited the Civil Rights Act to justify the policy, attorneys argue that fair investigations require broader context—not just names.

Bridget A Blinn-Spears, a university lawyer based in Raleigh, noted, “The only reason to gather names is if there’s an intent to investigate them, take action, or possibly place them on a watch list for future enforcement.”