University of Alabama Confirms Doctoral Student Detained by ICE

The University of Alabama is assuring international students that they are valued members of the campus after federal immigration agents detained a doctoral student in Tuscaloosa this week.

As first reported by the Crimson White, the student newspaper at UA, the detainee appears to be Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian national doctoral student who has reportedly been studying at UA since 2023.

According to information from a group chat that was provided to the CW and shared with the Thread, Doroudi was arrested early Tuesday morning at his residence by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

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According to the original CW report, Doroudi's visa was revoked in 2023 about six months after he arrived, but there was no clear reason why. He was allegedly told by the University's own International Student and Scholar Services that his case was not unusual and he could remain in the US as long as he was a student at UA.

What led to his Tuesday detention by I.C.E. is not clear. An ICE website maintained by the Department of Homeland Security shows an Iranian named Alireza Doroudi is in their custody, but does not list a detention facility where he is being held..

Late Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the University of Alabama confirmed that one of their students has been detained by ICE.

"The University of Alabama recently learned that a doctoral student has been detained off campus by federal immigration authorities," UA said. "Federal privacy laws limit what can be shared about an individual student. International students studying at the University are valued members of the campus community, and International Student and Scholar Services is available to assist international students who have questions. UA has and will continue to follow all immigration laws and cooperate with federal authorities."

With no clear understanding of why the doctoral student they mentioned - likely Doroudi - was detained, it's impossible to say with certainty on Wednesday if any other international students may also be at risk of arrest.

More information on the ISSS can be found on their website here.

For more coverage of this situation as it develops, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread, and check out the original report from the Crimson White here.