Embarrassment for Kristi Noem as Indian student on Trump's deportation list gets loud cheers at grad ceremony

Indian student Priya Saxena studying in America's South Dakota School of Mines and Technology received a doctorate in chemical and biological engineering and a master's degree in chemical engineering on May 12. She is one of the many who face deportation under the Trump administration's stringent crackdown on immigrants.

Saxena received a deportation notice over a four-year-old misdemeanour conviction for refusing to yield to flashing yellow lights. Saxena’s student visa was valid until 2027. She sued the Homeland Security Department and its head Kristi Noem.

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In her suit, Saxena stated that she “has not been involved in any political activity, has not attended any demonstrations, and has not made any statements about controversial public matters.”

A judge ruled in Saxena's favour that prevented the government from terminating her visa until a hearing on May 13 and thus she was allowed to get the degree she had been working toward for five years.

Read More | Deportation of Indian studentwith less than 30 days for graduation temporarily blocked by US judge

'Humiliation' for Kristi Noem

Kristi Noem's alma institution, Dakota State University, awarded her an honorary degree in public service. She studied political science at the campus.

According to The Daily Mail, Noem endured the “ultimate humiliation” as she failed to garner any cheers but faced protesters who heckled her.

Both the student senate and the general faculty voted against awarding Noem an honorary degree, contending that doing so would be a politicised gesture with negative implications for international students.

"One thing that immediately came to my brain when I heard she was coming here was I was genuinely scared of the massive amounts of international students that we have on campus," The Daily Mail quoted one of the demonstrators as saying.

The Trump administration has been instructing international students to self-deport themselves by revoking their visas. The Homeland Security Department cited petty crimes such as shoplifting, drunk driving, etc as reasons for deportation, reports suggest that students were deported due to their alleged involvement in campus activism.

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