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| Alabama lawyer: Arrested Iranian student was allowed to stay in US, didn’t participate in campus ‘anti-government protests’ | ||||
| 2025-03-31 | ||||
| [IsraelTimes] An Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama was arrested by immigration agents at his apartment in the middle of the night, even though his lawyer says he was allowed to stay in the country and — unlike some students targeted for deportation — never participated in campus “anti-government protests.” Alireza Doroudi, 32, was picked up because his visa was revoked in 2023, one of the few points of agreement between US officials and the student’s representatives. David Rozas, a lawyer for Doroudi, says he doesn’t know why his client’s visa was revoked but that he could stay in the United States while he remained a student, a status that immigration attorneys say is somewhat common. WAS somewhat common. “He has not been arrested for any crime, nor has he participated in any anti-government protests. He is legally present in the US, pursuing his American dream by working towards his doctorate in mechanical engineering,” Rozas says. The Department of Homeland Security says that immigration officials acted on the State Department’s visa revocation. “This individual posed significant national security concerns,” the department says. Officials decline to elaborate when asked why he is considered a threat. Rozas says he has not been informed of any allegations of security issues involving Doroudi. Doroudi has an immigration hearing in early April, according to his attorney, who worries that Doroudi’s inability to attend school will result in his loss of student status. Publicly available Alabama court records show he was cited for speeding/reckless driving in November 2023, but no other legal entanglements.
However, the Department of Homeland Security told CBS42 on Thursday that Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student from Iran studying mechanical engineering whose student visa was revoked, “posed significant national security concerns.” DHS did not provide any specific information regarding what Doroudi may have done or was charged with. Efforts by AL.com to reach DHS have not been successful. Douroudi attorney David Rozas told The Associated Press he was not aware of his client being involved in protests or criminal activity. “With the words of his fiancé, he is a nerd. All he does is study and is literally trying to fulfill his dream, the American dream, of becoming a researcher and professor of mechanical engineering,” Rozas told AP. Doroudi was being held at Pickens County Jail in Alabama for transport to an immigration facility in Jena, Louisiana. As of Thursday, Doroudi has not been formally charged with any crime, according to court records. Doroudi’s only known offense while in America was for speeding in Tuscaloosa County two years ago. A GoFundMe has been created by Doroudi’s apparent fiancé to assist with his legal expenses. As of Thursday night, more than $13,000 have been raised out of a $15,000 goal.
The Pickens County Jail employee, who did not identify themselves, said that Doroudi was being held until ICE officers could pick him up, although no exact time was given on when Doroudi would be leaving. Originally from Iran, Doroudi has been a student at UA since February 2023, according to his LinkedIn page. He previously received his master of science degree in welding engineering technology from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran in 2018.
Earlier this week, Alireza Doroudi, a University of Alabama doctoral student originally from Iran, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Oceanside students take filed trip to see ‘A Wonderworld World – The Louis Armstrong Musical’Oceanside students take filed trip to see ‘A Wonderworld World – The Louis Armstrong Musical’ He had been held at the Pickens County Jail, but as of Friday he was transferred to federal custody in Jena, La. Bajgani said it was “traumatizing” to witness ICE officers take her fiancé out of their Tuscaloosa apartment at about 3 a.m. Tuesday. “I’m sure it was traumatizing to everyone else [in the complex] too, because they could all hear the knocks and the sounds,” she said. Public records from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement do not detail any specifics on why Doroudi was detained. “ICE HSI made this arrest in accordance with the State Department’s revocation of Doroudi’s student visa. This individual posed significant national security concerns,” a DHS spokesperson said. Doroudi’s attorney, David Rozas, said in a statement to AL.com he was unaware “of any allegations concerning significant national security issues.” “He has not been arrested for any crime, nor has he participated in any anti-government protests,” the statement from Rozas said. “He is legally present in the U.S., pursuing his American dream by working towards his doctorate in mechanical engineering.” Rozas added that Doroudi’s student visa was still active and that he was applying for permanent residency as a researcher. The downtown apartment complex is home to many other migrant families. Many refused to speak on record but said they were shaken by the event. The property manager for the apartments, who witnessed the arrest, declined to comment. Bajgani has set up a GoFundMe to help with Doroudi’s legal expenses. She shared that the couple had been planning to get married in two months, but now all of her focus is on ensuring Doroudi’s freedom. “If something like this can happen to such a hardworking and harmless student – it makes us all wonder if it could happen to anyone,” Doroudi’s friend, Sam Saberi, told CBS 42. “The entire international student community is confused and unsettled,” Saberi told the station. The National Iranian American Council, an advocacy organization, issued a statement on March 27. “We are deeply disturbed by the arrest of Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, by ICE agents,” it reads. “At a minimum, ICE must make his whereabouts known and make clear if he has been charged with any crime. If not, he should be immediately released.” The University of Alabama enrolled about 1,200 international students in the fall 2024 semester, according to a recent report, and 90 of those students were from Iran. Across Alabama, about 9,000 international students were enrolled at different universities, according to the Alabama Council on Higher Education. University of Alabama guidelines for international student orientation say that students may have an expired visa as long as they maintain their studies. The school’s International Students and Scholars Service supports people on F-1 and J-1 visas. AL.com contacted the ISSS office who directed comments to the university’s communications office. The University of Alabama College Democrats issued the following statement. “Donald Trump, [ICE Acting Director] Tom Homan and ICE have struck a cold vicious dagger through the heart of UA’s international community,” the organization wrote. “As far as we know right now, ICE is yet to provide any justification for their actions, so we are not sure if this persecution is politically motivated as has been seen in other universities across the country.” ICE agents may be in public spaces on university campuses. They typically need a warrant in order to enter private spaces, such as a home or residence hall. | ||||
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