University of Alabama Student Detained by ICE: What We Know

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University of Alabama Student Detained by ICE: What We Know

A University of Alabama doctoral student, believed to be Alireza Doroudi, has been detained by federal immigration authorities, raising concerns about a trend affecting international students. The reason for his arrest remains unclear. This follows recent detentions of other students linked to the Trump administration’s scrutiny of immigration statuses.

Silicon Valley Today Reporter

2025-03-26

1–2 minutes

ICE Agents Detain University of Alabama Doctoral Student

university of alabama student detained by ice what we know

A doctoral student at the University of Alabama has been taken into custody by federal immigration authorities, the university confirmed in a statement on Wednesday. This individual is one of several students who have come under scrutiny by the Trump administration in recent weeks.

Although the university did not disclose the student’s name, online records from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) suggest that the detainee is Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian national.

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Alex House, a spokesperson for the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, stated that the student was apprehended off campus. However, the reason behind this detention remains unclear, and U.S. immigration officials have yet to provide a response to inquiries regarding the case as of Wednesday evening.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of detentions affecting international students. Earlier this month, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University who played a leading role in pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations, was arrested by federal immigration officers in New York. Khalil, who holds permanent U.S. residency, has not been charged with any crime. Nevertheless, the Trump administration has accused him of making antisemitic remarks and has called for his deportation.

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Additionally, on Tuesday, federal authorities detained Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University in Massachusetts who was in the U.S. on a student visa. Sunil Kumar, the president of Tufts, informed students, faculty, and staff via email that the university had been notified of the termination of Ozturk’s visa.

The Crimson White, the University of Alabama’s student-run newspaper, was the first to report Doroudi’s detention on Wednesday afternoon.

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According to a LinkedIn profile attributed to Doroudi, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama, with a specialization in metallurgical engineering—a field focused on the study of metals used in industrial production. Last year, he took to LinkedIn to express his excitement about publishing his first academic paper as a doctoral researcher.