More than 150 people rallying Monday at the University of Minnesota in support of a graduate student who was detained by ICE last week learned that a second student in Minnesota had also been arrested by immigration officials.
Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis), who attended the rally, shared the news with emcees that ICE had also detained a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato on Friday. The University of Minnesota student, a graduate student at the Carlson School of Management, was arrested last Thursday.
“Terrifying attacks on international and immigrant students and workers are happening here now, in our city, on our campus,” said Abaki Beck, president of the University of Minnesota’s Graduate Labor Union. “This kidnapping, though deeply disturbing, is unfortunately not surprising.”
According to the messages from U of M President Rebecca Cunningham and MSU-Mankato President Edward Inch, both students were detained at off-campus residences. Cunningham’s statement emphasized that the university had no prior knowledge of the local incident, and did not share any information with ICE beforehand. Inch’s statement said that ICE had not requested any information from his university before arresting the Mankato student.
“I have contacted our elected officials to share my concerns and ask for their help in stopping this activity within our community of learners,” Inch wrote in his email to students and faculty.
The University of Minnesota called the off-campus incident “deeply concerning” and said it was providing support to the Carlson student. The university declined to share more information about their identity or the incident, citing the student’s request for privacy. MSU-Mankato said that ICE had provided no information about the Mankato student’s detention.
Fateh, who is also running for Minneapolis mayor, said he was trying to connect the Mankato student with legal representation.
ICE did not respond to Sahan Journal requests for comment. In a March 28 press appearance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he had been personally involved with revoking more than 300 visas, many of them student visas. He criticized international students who had been involved with pro-Palestinian protests, including taking over campus buildings.
“If they’re taking activities that are counter to our foreign – to our national interest, to our foreign policy, we’ll revoke the visa,” Rubio said.
While he said “the overwhelming majority” of student visas would not be revoked, because most international students are not associated with “organizations that seek to do damage in this country,” he also noted examples of people whose visas had been revoked without being involved with protest movements.
“We’ve also identified people that have criminal charges and even while in the country, and still have active visas,” Rubio said. “Some are unrelated to any protests and are just having to do with potential criminal activity.”
While it has not been publicly disclosed why the Minnesota students were arrested, some outlets have reported that the Carlson student was singled out due to a driving under the influence conviction.
About a third of all graduate students at Carlson are international students, according to university data. Of those, the majority come from China or India. Altogether, more than 6,300 international students attend University of Minnesota campuses, and another 1,300 attend MSU-Mankato.
International students apply for temporary non-immigrant visas that allow them to study at universities and vocational schools in the United States, said Molly McKinsey, an immigration attorney at the Wilson Law Group. Once they’ve completed their education, they are expected to leave the country, she added.
Failing classes or not being enrolled in a full course load can lead to the revocation of an international student’s visa, said Steven Thal, an immigration attorney. He also said international students can face deportation for committing certain crimes.
However, he said recent ICE arrests of other international students, including at Columbia University in New York City and Tufts University in Massachusetts, have raised alarming concerns that haven’t been issues in the past presidential administrations. Most of the students were targeted for expressing pro-Palestinian views.
“It’s definitely an issue under the current administration,” he said.
‘We all have to do something’
Monday’s rally, organized by the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and unionized graduate students at the University of Minnesota, was announced last week before either student had been detained by ICE. When it was announced, the rally was set to address a plethora of complaints, including layoff fears, federal funding cuts and attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
But many people who attended Monday came primarily to show solidarity with their Carlson colleague who was detained by ICE.
Speakers condemned Cunningham and recent university policies to limit protest to 100 participants and require Cunningham’s approval of any university statements.
Rachel Katkar, who helps enroll international students into the U’s dental program, spoke about her colleagues. Many came to escape persecution in their home countries, or because they had no chance of becoming a dentist as a woman or an LGBTQ person back home. They came for democracy and a better life, she said.
“When we need our freedom most, it is being stripped away,” she said. “Our own university is silencing our voices.”
Midway through the rally, Max Vast, president of AFSCME 3800, interrupted to share the news from Sen. Fateh about the Mankato student’s detention.
“There’s no information about who the student is, and they are unable to contact their family or their community, and they have not been issued legal representation,” Vast said.
Vast added that they were calling on not only Cunningham, but also Minnesota State leadership, to take action to protect students.
“No ICE on campus!” someone in the crowd shouted.
“No ICE on campus is right,” Vast agreed.
Noah Yehalashet, an 18-year-old U freshman, said he attended the rally as a way to feel solidarity and community with others. He has been trying to channel his fears about the Trump administration into action, including door-knocking for Minneapolis Council Member Robin Wonsley, who faces reelection this year.
Yehalashet said it was frightening to learn that ICE was in his own backyard, taking one of his peers.
“It drove that sense of urgency into me,” he said. “I have to do something. But we also, we all have to do something about this.”
Charley Smith, a member of the local Teamsters union who works in the dishroom at one of the dorms, said he’s seen a lot of fear among his graduate student colleagues, especially those from certain countries, like former Soviet republics.
“Their fear of even thinking about going to a protest is never going to happen. The Chinese undergrads and grad students won’t come anywhere near anything like this. They can’t,” he said. “I came here because I don’t think anybody should live in that kind of fear.”
Rebecca Pera, a parent of a child at Minneapolis’ Camden High School, said it was alarming to learn of two public university students being detained.
“This is just a culture of fear for all students,” she said. “If it starts with the international students, that doesn’t mean it ends there. I think it can infiltrate not only into our universities, but also into the public schools, K-12, as well.”
Staff writer Katelyn Vue contributed to this report.
