University of Alabama graduate student detained by ICE, school says

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Federal immigration agents have detained a University of Alabama doctoral student who is a citizen of Iran, according to the school and ICE records.

Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student from Iran studying mechanical engineering, is currently being held in a county jail, awaiting transfer to an immigration facility, his attorney, David Rozas, confirmed to ABC News.

A spokesperson for the Pickens County Jail in Alabama confirmed to ABC News that an Alireza Doroudi has been in their custody since Tuesday and is being held at the behest of ICE.

Doroudi was taken into custody by ICE at 3 a.m. Thursday at his home, his attorney said.

The Department of Homeland Security said Doroudis student visa was revoked and he was subsequently arrested because he "posed significant national security concerns."

Rozas, though, said in a statement to ABC News he has " not been informed of any allegations concerning significant national security issues."

No federal charges have been filed against Doroudi, according to a search of federal court records. Rozas also told ABC News that the student has "not been arrested for any crime, nor has he participated in any anti-government protests."

"He is legally present in the U.S., pursuing his American dream by working towards his doctorate in mechanical engineering," Rozas said. "He is also in the early stages of applying for an EB-1/Adjustment of Status as a researcher with extraordinary ability."

Doroudi's LinkedIn page says he is a "trained metallurgy engineer with over ten years of academic experience in Materials Science, welding, and brazing."

He is studying at the University of Alabama with an active I-20/SEVIS status at the university, his attorney said.

"The University of Alabama recently learned that a doctoral student has been detained off campus by federal immigration authorities," the university said in a statement. "Federal privacy laws limit what can be shared about an individual student. International students studying at the University are valued members of the campus community, and International Student and Scholar Services is available to assist international students who have questions."

"UA has and will continue to follow all immigration laws and cooperate with federal authorities," it said.

Doroudi is one of multiple college students to be recently detained by ICE.

Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national, was arrested by immigration authorities as she was headed to meet her friends and break her fast on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by ICE. Khalil had been one of the leaders of pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University last spring.

Khalil was taken from his student apartment building in lower Manhattan, and then to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, before being transferred to Louisiana.

President Donald Trump claimed Khalil was a "Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student" and said this is the "first arrest of many to come" in a post on his Truth Social platform this month.

"We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country -- never to return again," he added.

Khalil and his lawyers have denied he supports Hamas or has any ties to the group.

A second student involved with the protests at Columbia University was also arrested by the Department of Homeland Security this month.

Leqaa Korda was arrested by agents from Homeland Security Investigations for allegedly overstaying her expired visa -- which terminated on Jan. 26, 2022. Korda was also allegedly arrested in 2024 for her involvement in the protests, according to DHS.

ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman contributed to this report.