The Nigerian argued that she needed the student visa to obtain a work permit in the U.S. after completing a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 2024.
Cynderila Patrick, a Nigerian graduate of Youngstown State University in Ohio, has initiated a lawsuit against United States President Donald Trump following the revocation of her student visa.
Patrick’s attorney, Rhys Cartwright-Jones, filed the lawsuit against Trump’s officials on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, claiming that the revocation of his client’s student visa constitutes a threat to her educational investment.
The 36-year-old’s visa was revoked on April 8, becoming another victim of the ongoing international student visa revocation launched by the U.S. government as part of a wider crackdown on immigration.
Trump has reportedly been using misdemeanors such as traffic violations as a ground to cancel foreign student visas at California campuses.
Meanwhile, Patrick, who resides in Maryland, argued that she needed the student visa to obtain a work permit in the U.S. after completing a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 2024.
According to a Cleveland.com report, the lawsuit sought a “temporary, preliminary and permanent order” for her visa to be reinstated.
She also alleged that her rights to due process were violated and that the U.S. government failed to notify her promptly of the reason for revoking her visa.
“This disruption will severely hinder her ability to gain professional experience in the United States, undermine the educational investment she has made, and place her at a competitive disadvantage in her field,” Cartwright-Jones wrote in the lawsuit.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi in Akron.
Patrick was admitted to YSU in 2022 and received a $1,000 scholarship from Intel for students pursuing a career in the technology field in 2023.According to the institution, she was a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers.
It was gathered that at least 61 visas for Ohio students, including 14 at YSU, and more than 1,000 students across the US have been revoked since the Trump administration’s clampdown began.
