Lawful VISA Holder Student Detained by ICE

Turkish graduate student Dogukan Gunaydin, pursuing a master's degree in business administration at the University of Minnesota, was abducted by ICE agents on his way to class last week and thrown in a local jail. He held a valid VISA, which was still showing valid online at the time of arrest, and the agents wouldn't tell him why he was being arrested. He did not participate in the Gaza protests or other political dissent. All of which led him to think he was being kidnapped.

A DUI conviction from two years ago

Eventually, the student learned that ICE had decided to "retroactively revoke his VISA" because he pled guilty to driving under the influence almost two years ago. Experts interviewed by the NYT couldn't think of a case where a lawful VISA holding student had been treated in this way over a misdemeanor conviction from two years ago. In the past, other students have been given an opportunity to contest the VISA revocation while continuing to pursue their studies in college, or have been allowed to self-deport voluntarily.

DUIs and Immigration Law

A DUI conviction or even arrest can adversely impact many immigration issues including admissibility, removability, prospects for becoming a naturalized citizen. When we defend a person accused of DUI who is a non-citizen, we routinely consult qualified immigration counsel to make sure that these issues are addressed.

Read the NY Times story.

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