U of M student’s bid for freedom from ICE detention draws crowd to courthouse
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More than 100 supporters gathered at the Fort Snelling Immigration Court on Friday morning to show solidarity with a University of Minnesota graduate student facing deportation.
Doğukan Günaydın, 28, is a citizen of Turkey who’s been jailed for two weeks. The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to deport Günaydın because of a drunk driving conviction.
Günaydın’s attorney Hannah Brown argued in court that Günaydın’s DWI offense didn’t amount to the level of public safety risk as alleged by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She said that when he was arrested on an early morning in June 2023, Günaydın was traveling at a low rate of speed in downtown Minneapolis. Attorney Laura Trosen, representing the DHS, said impaired driving still does pose a public safety threat. And she argued that the government has the authority to deport him.
Günaydın didn’t testify on his own behalf. Judge Sarah Mazzie said she will consider the arguments and issue a decision at a later date.
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In addition to challenging his detention in immigration court, which is a division of the Justice Department, Günaydın has also filed a petition for his release in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.
Günaydın is scheduled for his removal hearing, which is a separate proceeding, next week.
Supporters: “Hands off Doğukan”
Due to limited seating in the courtroom, the majority of people who rallied in support of Günaydın gathered on the plaza outside the Fort Snelling federal building and watched a livestream of the proceedings on their phones.
Serra Hakyemez, a professor of anthropology at the U, joined the Friday morning rally. Hakyemez, who is also a native of Turkey, said it’s important for faculty and students to show their support for Günaydın because international graduate students are feeling vulnerable.
“They’re very concerned about today, tomorrow, and their future. I think Doğukan’s case shows that anyone can be detained, and international students are feeling very concerned,” Hakyemez said.
Dozens of foreign students across Minnesota targeted by DHS
Officials with the Minnesota State system — which includes seven universities and 26 colleges across the state — said at least two dozen students in the system have had their visas revoked or immigration records terminated. Half of those students were at Minnesota State University in Mankato. Other schools with multiple students affected included St. Cloud State, and Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall. Those numbers do not include the University of Minnesota Twin Cities or other U of M campuses, or private institutions around the state.
Earlier this week, Metropolitan State University student Rattanand Ratsantiboon sued DHS in order to preserve his ability to remain a full-time student. The lawsuit alleges that DHS illegally terminated his student status.
The 31-year-old citizen of Thailand was convicted of a DWI offense in 2018 and completed the conditions of his probation in 2022.