Two graduate students at Montana State University are asking a federal court to stop the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from terminating their foreign student status, which could allow officials to immediately deport them.

Officials with Montana鈥檚 largest public universities last week had their F-1 visas revoked and their F-1 statuses cancelled, meaning they could be subject to immediate deportation. Their cases mirrored across the United States.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana filed the motion in court on Monday on behalf of two of the four students, who are anonymous in court filings. Laywers said that both students were sent identical form letters which said their status had been revoked because of criminal status, although neither has been convicted or charged with any crime, leading to confusion and panic.

The identity and status of the other two students mentioned by MSU are not publicly known.

The Department of Homeland Security has not just revoked the F-1 visa, which is a document that allows a student entry into the United States, it has apparently wiped out their F-1 status, which allows a student to remain lawfully and allows them to be employed in certain jobs, like teaching assistant positions or research. By cancelling the status, the lawsuit argues, the Trump administration has made it impossible for the students to keep employment or be paid.

The lawsuit also points out that cancelling an F-1 visa is not necessarily cause to revoke the student鈥檚 entire status. The ACLU of Montana says the actions of the Trump administration violate the U.S. Constitution鈥檚 guarantee of due process, which extends to residents who are not U.S. citizens, but still lawfully in the country, like the students.

According to court documents, neither student has been convicted of a crime, and neither student has participated in protests or demonstrations.

The court documents also shed light into the inner workings of the moves by the Trump officials to boot foreign-born students. For example, officials did not appear to give either the students or the universities any advance warning. The four students in Montana learned of the changed status after officials with the university system were doing a routine check of the database on April 10.

It is unknown when the change was made, and the lawsuit said the university system officials have had no communication explaining the status change. However, with both the F-1 visa and the F-1 status being changed, the court filing said there鈥檚 little to stop an immediate deportation, and officials worry about due process rights being protected.

鈥淭his policy appears to be primarily targeting African, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and Asian students,鈥� the court brief said.

The court filings say that both students fear that years of work and research could be abruptly ended with the decision.

The ACLU has asked for 鈥渆mergency relief鈥� for the two unnamed students so that they couldn鈥檛 be immediately deported, and to have their status restored. Moreover, the lawsuit asks federal court Judge Dana Christensen to prohibit the administration from arresting, detaining or transferring the students from beyond the Montana federal court鈥檚 jurisdiction without providing adequate notice to contest any action.

Students who come to the U.S. under an F-1 status must maintain a full course of study, and have limited options for income, usually related to that field of study. One of the MSU students is a doctoral student in electrical engineering and physics, with a completion date around December, 2025.

鈥淗e has never been convicted of a crime in the United States or elsewhere,鈥� the court filing said. 鈥淗e does not understand why his visa was revoked and his (foreign student) record was terminated. Neither the government nor MSU has provided any additional details or explanation for the change in (his) status or the revocation of his F-1 visa.鈥�

In addition to placing his entire doctorate in jeopardy, the student鈥檚 sister is a graduate student at the University of Colorado. He financially supports her, and according to the lawsuit, the sudden status change has threatened both of their ability to support themselves.

The second graduate student from MSU is studying microbiology, and she has never been convicted of a crime in Montana or her native country.

鈥淭his has placed her in an extremely difficult financial and academic position, as her teaching assistantship is not only her only source of income, but also a core component of her master鈥檚 training,鈥� the suit said.

In addition to violating the Administrative Procedures Act, the lawsuit said, terminating their status already violated the guarantees of the U.S. Constitution.

鈥淧laintiffs were not afforded the most basic of notice nor opportunity to heard that was owed to them before having their F-1 student status terminated,鈥� the lawsuit said. 鈥淭he letter did not include any further information as to why (their) F-1 status had been revoked, or how they might seek further information about their specific situations, or even of any available procedures they could follow to challenge the termination.鈥�

The court filing also says that without the federal court taking immediate, emergency action, the students will continue to be at risk, not just of deportation and financial hardship, but that they will have their study interrupted unfairly.

鈥�(Their) due process rights are being impaired,鈥� the court filing said. 鈥�(They) face the imminent risk 鈥� indeed, likelihood 鈥� that they will be unable to complete their graduate studies, that they will be unable to earn an income, and support their families,鈥� the suit said. 鈥�(They) also current face the serious risk of immediate arrest and detention for deportation because they no longer have lawful status to remain in the United States.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com.

WASHINGTON 鈥� Suitcases and large cardboard boxes rolled across the pavement outside the Department of Education鈥檚 offices this week as recently fired federal workers packed up their desks.

Waiting outside, workers were greeted with claps, cheers and whistles as they emerged from the buildings, some raising their fists in defiance. Colleagues embraced, sharing quiet words or simply holding on. Signs with various messages floated above the crowd, most thanking the workers for their public service.

What began on Wednesday as a smaller 鈥渃lap out鈥� outside the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), home to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) offices, grew into a larger demonstration by Friday. Fired employees gathered at department headquarters, joined by advocates rallying in solidarity.

About two weeks ago, workers in the 4,200-employee department began to hear rumblings of a large round of layoffs aimed at reducing the workforce by 50%. Some employees opted for early buyouts, while others took early retirements.

Another 1,300 employees were subject to 鈥渞eduction in force鈥� notices, according to Nikki Churchwell, a Calvert County resident who worked at the Office of Performance and Improvement, and Kaitlyn Vitez, of Alexandria, Virginia, from the Office of Communications and Outreach.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management lays out specific procedures for downsizing, which include ranking employees based on seniority and performance. However, Churchwell said the administration altered the way competitive areas were identified to bypass this process.

Veronica Greene, 56, a nearly retired worker, made her way down the path outside the OSSE, her belongings packed into two cardboard boxes stacked on a dolly. A security guard and another man, also carrying boxes, helped guide the load.

A car pulled up to the corner of the building, its windows down. A man and a woman inside waved and clapped in support. With teary eyes, Greene said, 鈥淭hese are my colleagues.鈥�

鈥淲e party hard. We love each other. It鈥檚 hard to see these people leave because I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檒l ever see them again, 鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome I might, but a lot I might not.鈥�

Greene said that she planned to retire, but this departure was not on her own terms. In just 15 to 20 minutes, the place she had considered home for decades was reduced to two boxes, after dedicating her life to student aid and loan services since 1991.

Her days were spent answering phones and sorting through mail, but it was in her office in meetings, where she said she witnessed the dedication of her colleagues.

Kelisa Wing, of Virginia, a former employee with the Office of the Deputy Secretary at the department, was escorted to her workstation around 9 a.m. on Friday with just 30 minutes to pack up her belongings.

As she moved through the office, she noticed Homeland Security personnel monitoring the building. By 11 a.m., the walls of her workspace, once decorated with family photos, potted plants and an image of Martin Luther King Jr. from the night before his assassination, were bare.

Everything had been carefully placed into a sleek black suitcase with a box stacked on top.

鈥淎ll I ever wanted to be was an English teacher and look what God did, because of education,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ducation saved my opportunities, so that鈥檚 what they want to take away.鈥�

Though for Wing, the moment was bittersweet. The abrupt departure offered a sense of closure, giving her the chance to say a proper goodbye to colleagues she had worked alongside for years.

鈥淭his is an assault on public education, because people know that education is the great equalizer,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is the way that a student, a person like me, who came from nothing from Toledo, Ohio, from nothing, can end up working in a place like this.鈥�

Supporters gathered with former employees, holding signs of solidarity. One sign, adorned with Cookie Monster, read: Thank you! Gracias! Merci! Salamat!

Tony Sarmiento, a retired worker from Silver Spring who has attended 21 demonstrations in support of federal employees since the new administration took office, stood beside Greene, snapping photos and helping her with her belongings.

He said firings like these often led to deep emotional struggles, with laid-off workers battling depression and self-blame.

鈥淪o, even with the completely irrational, cruel way these closings are happening,鈥� he said, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a phenomenon where workers are so depressed, they aren鈥檛 going to blame the right person.鈥�

Bill Bimber, a retired science and technology high school teacher with 34 years of experience in Northern Virginia schools, spent many years without computers to teach his students computer repair. If it weren鈥檛 for funding programs created by the Department of Education, he said, he may never have received computers to teach his class.

Bimber expressed his concerns that if the department is experiencing massive layoffs, programs like this that provide equipment and materials to students may no longer get off the ground.

鈥淚 know how programs from this agency, this department, have affected schools over the years, and it鈥檚 largely invisible, but it鈥檚 huge,鈥� Bimber said. 鈥淚t really is enormous what they do.鈥�

Dressed in a Department of Education graphic T-shirt Jackie Murray approached her firing with grace 鈥� after 40 years in communications and outreach 鈥� with a positive outlook on her future. After being placed on administrative leave more than two months ago, the popular Murray bounced around the outside of the building with a smile and laughter.

She responded to a question about her next steps, saying, 鈥淢y mouth moves a lot, so it needs to get paid because it has to eat, you know.鈥�

For her, a support system of girlfriends, music and Scripture was key during moments like this that felt shared by many federal workers across the Washington region.

鈥淔ind you a support group that has accepted this, because there are still individuals, um, that I know who have not fully accepted this,鈥� she added, offering advice to those in her situation.

In the coming days, there will be debates about what form the department should take and how programs should be implemented, Vitez said.

鈥淎t the end of the day, we need to do what鈥檚 best for schools 鈥� and for students and provide them the most resources and support to get the job done,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd people need more support, not less.鈥�