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U.S. COURT STOPS TRUMP FROM DEPORTING NIGERIAN PHD STUDENT MATTHEW ARIWOOLA
Irrespective of Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown, a U.S. federal court has temporarily blocked the deportation of Matthew Ariwoola, a Nigerian PhD student in chemistry at the University of South Carolina.
The court ruling follows a controversial decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to revoke Ariwoola’s student visa over a case of mistaken identity, a criminal warrant served in Georgia in 2023, a state the student insists he has never even visited.
The visa cancellation, which happened on April 8, 2025, effectively froze Ariwoola’s academic life. He was barred from his research, kicked out of the classroom, and faced the very real threat of being deported back to Nigeria.
With his future hanging, he turned to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of South Carolina, which quickly filed a lawsuit on his behalf.
On April 18, the same day the case was filed, District Judge Jacquelyn Austin issued a 14-day restraining order, halting any deportation attempts and reinstating Ariwoola’s student privileges.
The ruling not only allowed him to return to his academic duties but also signaled judicial skepticism toward the DHS’s actions.
Homeland Security soon reversed course, reactivating his visa record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, the database used to track foreign students in the U.S.
Over the following weeks, Judge Austin would renew the restraining order three more times. Then on June 13, she issued a preliminary injunction, preventing the government from taking any further steps against Ariwoola until the legal battle is resolved.
In her ruling, the judge affirmed the court’s jurisdiction and said the case presented a valid legal controversy under the U.S. Constitution, adding that all required conditions for granting an injunction had been met.
For Ariwoola, this legal reprieve isn’t just personal, it’s symbolic.
“This victory, though temporary, is a huge source of hope for international students who are unfairly targeted,” he said, acknowledging the swift support from his university, legal team, and the wider community. “I’m especially thankful to the ACLU-SC and the court for ensuring that justice prevails. I hope this encourages others to speak up and fight back.”
The case has struck a nerve in the ongoing debate over Trump’s hardline immigration policies. Since returning to office in January 2025, his administration has aggressively pursued the deportation of undocumented migrants, with foreign students increasingly caught in the crossfire.
For now, Matthew Ariwoola gets to stay and study in the U.S.
