UA doctoral student Alireza Doroudi was disappeared by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more than 24 hours in March. During this time, his whereabouts — as well as the reason for his detainment — were unknown to the general public. Eventually, ICE moved him from Pickens County Jail to a detention facility in Louisiana, where he has remained on dubious and unexplained accusations of posing “significant national security concerns.” No evidence has been provided for such accusations.
In more colloquial terms, we could refer to this as a kidnapping by the U.S. government; in fact, in some cases it is difficult to tell the difference between an ICE detainment and a kidnapping. Now, Doroudi’s university has invited President Donald Trump, the head of the administration that detained him, to campus.
In an email to students Tuesday, the University stated that it is “honored to have been selected as one of the universities President Donald J. Trump will visit to deliver a spring commencement address.”
Perhaps administrators feel honored; students, however, should feel nothing but shame and betrayal. The University’s decision to host Trump as a commencement speaker is an insult to its international students and a shameful decision in light of Doroudi’s arbitrary detainment.
The Trump administration has already caused significant damage to both the First Amendment and due process in the past four months. Hundreds of international students have been detained or threatened with deportation because of their political speech, which has historically fallen under activity protected by the First Amendment.
Additionally, several undocumented immigrants with no criminal history in the U.S. have been sent to the infamous CECOT prison in El Salvador, including Kilmar Abrego García, who has remained in prison despite a Supreme Court decision ordering that the Trump administration facilitate his return.
This has inflicted large amounts of emotional distress and fear on international students across the country, including in Alabama. Earlier this month, 15 Auburn University students and two Troy University students had their visas revoked by the Department of Homeland Security, leading to fear that more detainments and visa revocations are on the horizon.
In the meantime, what has the University done to support Doroudi? Typically, we assume that universities have a duty of care to their students. Tufts University, for example, responded to the detention of doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk by providing information clarifying her clean administrative record and publicly supporting her legal team.
By contrast, our University has yet to even say Doroudi’s name. This is in spite of the fact that according to those who knew him, the University incorrectly assured him that he was safe to continue as a UA student. Now, instead of supporting Doroudi or advocating on behalf of their international students, UA administrators plan to celebrate the man responsible for his disappearance.
It is clear that community members, as well as UA students, are concerned about the threat that arbitrary ICE detentions pose to public safety. In response to Doroudi’s disappearance, a crowd of more than 150 people gathered to protest at the Richard Shelby Federal Building and Courthouse on March 31. In the days since, it has become apparent that the University does not care about Doroudi or these concerned community members.
Hosting Trump sends a clear message that the University does not care about its international students. Rather, such students attending The University of Alabama are at risk of receiving faulty legal information, and if they are detained, their university will remain silent and offer little support. It will then use commencement to amplify the voice of the man directing the persecution of international students.
The University is sending a message that if you arbitrarily disappear one of our students, this will not only be tolerated, but it will be celebrated. It should feel “honored” to recognize the accomplishments of its scholars, not to host the president holding them captive.
Ethan Henry is a current UA student who will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a Master of Arts degree in quantitative economics.
