Washington, D.C. – The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) condemns the injustice that has forced Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian PhD student at the University of Alabama, to self-deport despite the U.S. government offering no evidence to support its claims and indicating – without following through – that it was willing to drop the initial charge behind his arrest.
Doroudi was arrested by ICE on March 25, 2025, at his home in Tuscaloosa, who claimed that they were acting on a revocation of his visa by the State Department and falsely asserted that he was a national security threat. In court, the only charges against him were the revocation of his F-1 student visa and an allegation of “not being in status.” However, documentation indicated that the visa revocation would only take effect upon his departure from the United States, not while he remained in the country. The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged this and indicated during the master hearing their intention to drop the charge. Yet, the intolerable conditions of being imprisoned in a brutal facility without hope on the horizon appears to have left him with no choice but to give up his legal fight and leave his life in the United States.
Our government has committed a grievous injustice against Doroudi, his fiancée, and all those of Iranian heritage in the United States. By targeting him on the basis of his identity, the Department of Homeland Security not only disrupted his academic future and personal life, it broke the spirit of two young people who sought to build a life together in the U.S.
Doroudi hadn’t done anything wrong and was studying in the U.S. completely legally. That he was targeted regardless is an outrageous violation of civil liberties, and it sets a chilling precedent for others in our community: that our heritage may be grounds for surveillance, detention, and ultimately expulsion.
We are horrified that our government is detaining foreign students, denying them due process, and leaving them with little choice but to abandon their education and home.
To the University of Alabama, we urge you to honor Doroudi’s academic commitment by allowing him to complete his degree remotely under these extraordinary and unjust circumstances.
And to the Iranian-American community: you are not alone. We see you, we support you, and we will continue to fight for your rights and dignity.
This case is not just a personal tragedy, it is a civil rights failure. NIAC demands accountability and systemic change to ensure no one else suffers what Alireza Doroudi has endured.