Washington, DC – The National Iranian American Council released the following statement regarding reports that Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student from Iran studying at the University of Alabama, had been detained by ICE:
“We are deeply disturbed by the arrest of Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, by ICE agents. 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.
“Doroudi’s arrest comes on the heels of the baseless arrest of students and a green card holder as apparent retaliation against their speech and activism against war. The cruelty appears to have been the point of these harsh arrests, spreading fear in many communities. We call on the administration to halt these harsh and unjust actions and immediately release all those unjustly detained.”