On March 27, Doğukan Günaydin, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for a past drunk driving charge from 2023. Günaydin’s arrest is one of many nationwide following ICE crackdowns at universities.

Günaydin appeared in immigration court on Thursday, suing to be released, claiming that authorities arrested him illegally and he was not given due process, a constitutional right that applies to citizens and non-citizens in the U.S. Records cited in his petition showed that Günaydin’s student visa was not revoked until almost seven hours after his arrest, making his arrest baseless. The petition also claims that authorities could not terminate his student visa, citing a Department of Homeland Security list of reasons for visa terminations, saying that drunk driving is not a legal basis to revoke a student visa.

The U of M and ICE had no contact regarding this arrest, stating that they had “no prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred.” The University also noted that the campus department of safety does not “enforce federal immigration laws.”

Since his arrest, five more university students in Minnesota have had their visas terminated and one other student arrested for undisclosed reasons.

This follows a string of arrests of international students in universities across the country, many of whom participated in pro-palestinian protests. The arrests have involved three Columbia University students and students from Cornell, University of Alabama, Brown and Tufts. The Trump administration has cracked down on pro-Palestinian international students since President Trump took office. Since then, ICE has been targeting international students and scholars who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

“A lot of protests have been against the Trump administration or in support of Palestine or against the Trump administration,” said sophomore Florence Barrera. “It’s a weird workaround to basically just get rid of anyone that disagrees with your policies.”

Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, admitted that participating in protests could be cause for revoking a student’s visa.

“If you are in this country on a student visa and are a participant in those movements, we have a right to deny your visa. I think it would make sense to deny your visa,” Rubio said in a press conference. “We are not going to be importing activists into the United States. They’re here to study. They’re here to go to class. They’re not here to lead activist movements that are disruptive and undermine…our universities.”

Rubio said around 300 visas have been revoked since he came to office in January. Many of the visas belonged to students.

Senior Julia Taylor disagrees with Rubio’s comments: “I don’t think anyone deserves any less a right than [citizens] do, especially when it comes to something like freedom of speech,” Taylor said.

The right to assembly or protest is protected by the First Amendment, along with freedom of speech. Furthermore, the constitution can apply to anyone physically on U.S. soil, including non-citizens.

ICE crackdowns at universities will change the campus experience for many students, both citizens and international students.

Taylor emphasizes the importance of having diversity of people and opinions. She hopes that the presence of ICE on campus will not take that away: “I hope that other students aren’t hesitating on going to certain institutions or certain colleges, because I want to be able to be around as much diversity as possible,” Taylor said.

For Barrera, however, it will impact what schools she chooses to apply to: “If this does keep happening, the universities that are cracking down more will definitely be taken off my list of potential schools,” she said.