An international student at a South Dakota university faced with deportation can stay in the country a while longer.
Priya Saxena, a 28-year-old Indian doctoral student at the School of Mines, has received an extension on her visa that will allow her to walk the graduation stage.
Last month, she was shortlisted for deportation after her visa was revoked and her student status was terminated. This comes despite a relatively clean record as a student in the United States over the last five years, barring one paid traffic infraction dating to 2021.
Saxena will graduate with a doctorate in chemical and biological engineering.
Ultimately, Saxena filed countersuit against high-ranking Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem and ICE director Todd Lyons. ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is an office within the DHS.
Her first extension was granted April 18 for 14 days, and court actions last Friday confirmed Saxena will be able to remain in the nation through at least her graduation.
Beyond that, it is unclear if another extension will be granted, or if Saxena’s deportation will be carried out by immigration authorities.