Portland, ORE. — Yesterday, the ACLU of Oregon, Innovation Law Lab, and NELSON | SMITH LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of an Oregon State University Ph.D. student, Aaron Ortega Gonzalez, who had his F-1 student immigration status unlawfully and abruptly terminated on April 4, 2025, with no clear reason as to why.
The lawsuit asks the court to reinstate Aaron’s F-1 student status to allow him to continue his research and studies. The sudden and unjust termination of the OSU student’s F-1 status violates his due process rights, as the government is required by law to provide him with advance notice and a meaningful opportunity to respond.
Not only was Aaron unilaterally stripped of his rights without notice or an opportunity to be heard, but he can no longer participate in critical research to improve Oregon’s battles against wildfire. Aaron is a citizen of Mexico and a wildlife and conservation scientist. Until the termination of his student visa, he was pursuing his Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology and Management in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University. His research focused on the restoration of ranchlands in Oregon that have been impacted by wildfires — a persistent problem in the state.
The Trump administration’s sudden revocation of the visas and immigration statuses of students is part of a series of mass scale executive actions targeting immigrants and academic institutions. Aaron is one of hundreds of university students across the country, including multiple universities in Oregon. “International students are a vital part of our state’s universities and communities. Students like Aaron bring diverse perspectives and enrich our state through their academic contributions. Given the prevalence and increase of wildfires in Oregon, it is to our benefit to have the best minds in the world on our university campuses conducting this important and groundbreaking research,” said Kelly Simon, ACLU of Oregon Legal Director.
The lawsuit also states that the government is required to have grounds in order to terminate a student’s status, and that the revocation of an F-1 visa alone is not sufficient grounds to terminate. To legally terminate a student’s status, the student, for example, must fail to take full courses of study, engage in unauthorized employment, or be convicted of a violent crime. Here, the government has provided no notice or clear basis for its termination of Aaron’s student status.
These terminations have put the education, research, and career trajectory of hundreds, potentially thousands, of people at risk. “Trump has forced chaos into the lives of students like Aaron, students who are critical to Oregon and our collective prosperity. We know that the opposite of chaos is due process and Aaron is entitled to due process and that’s why he is going to court. Without status, not only was Aaron forced to immediately halt his research project, but he is also unable to work as a research assistant, which means he can no longer support himself financially in the U.S. and cannot afford tuition to continue his education. The termination has put Aaron at serious risk of immediate arrest and detention for removal proceedings — an outcome we know other students have already faced,” said Stephen Manning, Innovation Law Lab Executive Director.
About the ACLU of Oregon: The ACLU of Oregon is an affiliate of the national ACLU, which has affiliates in 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The ACLU of Oregon is a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization with more than 45,000 members and donor supporters statewide. The organization works in the courts, in the state legislature and local governments, and in communities to defend and advance our democracy, civil liberties, and civil rights under the U.S. and Oregon laws and constitutions.
About Innovation Law Lab: Innovation Law Lab, based in Portland, Oregon with projects around the United States, is a nonprofit organization that leverages law, technology and organizing to fight for immigrant and refugee justice. For more information, visit www.innovationlawlab.org and follow us on social media: @innovationlawlab on Facebook and Instagram.
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