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Lawyers and experts say the arrest last week of a University of Minnesota graduate student may signal a new front in the Trump administration’s approach to immigration.
- March 31, 2025, 7:27 p.m. ET
The University of Minnesota graduate student who was detained by immigration agents last week had not participated in campus activism or been outspoken about political issues, according to a lawsuit he filed on Sunday in federal court challenging the legality of his arrest.
Instead, the issue that appears to have put the student, Dogukan Gunaydin, on the radar of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is more mundane: a 2023 drunken-driving case in which he pleaded guilty.
After the university disclosed in a statement Friday night that a student had been taken into immigration custody, there was rampant speculation that the incident was related to pro-Palestinian activism, as has been the case at several other universities. Top elected officials, including Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and members of Congress, issued statements expressing concern, and students held protests on campus.
But no evidence of activism emerged in the case of Mr. Gunaydin, 28, a Turkish citizen who was pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. In an emailed statement, the Homeland Security Department said that Mr. Gunaydin had been arrested after the State Department revoked his visa over the D.U.I. case. “This is not related to student protests,” the statement said.
Immigration lawyers and other experts say they worry that the detention may signal a new front in the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement.
The government routinely revokes student visas over criminal cases, but typically the holder has the opportunity to challenge the revocation with the help of a lawyer, or is allowed to leave the country voluntarily.
