ICE says a University of Minnesota student's visa was revoked due to 'prior criminal history for a DUI' and not because of the student protests

A University of Minnesota graduate student who was recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had his visa revoked for driving under the influence and not for being linked to student protests.

Tricia McLaughlin, undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security, reported that the student, enrolled in the Minneapolis campus business school, was arrested after the Department of State revoked his visa.

On his X account, McLaughlin clarified: “This is not related to the student protests. The individual in question was arrested after his visa was revoked by the State Department due to a criminal record for driving under the influence."

The University of Minnesota has not released the student's name or further details about his situation. Andria Waclawski, a spokeswoman for the university, indicated that the institution is respecting the student's request for privacy while providing legal assistance and other support.

However, the initial lack of official information about the detention triggered student protests and expressions of concern from university authorities.

Another detention

In a separate case, Minnesota State University at Mankato reported that one of its students was also detained by ICE on Friday at an off-campus residence hall.

President Edward Inch communicated the situation in a letter to the campus community, noting that no reason was provided for the detention. "The University has received no information from ICE, and they have not requested any information from us,” Inch wrote, adding that he has contacted elected officials to express concern and ask for help in stopping these actions against students.

The school, for its part, also did not disclose the student's name, nationality or field of study.

Alarm among state and federal leaders

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz revealed that he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday about the University of Minnesota case but still expected more information on Monday.

In that regard, Waltz used his X account and noted:

“I just spoke with Homeland Security to get more information and I will share when I learn more. The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research. We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers.”

Days later, he again used his X account, to point out:

“We have yet to receive adequate information from Homeland Security about the recent news of Minnesota students being detained by ICE. Snatching up students who come here legally to work hard and get an education does not make you tough on immigration. We need answers.”

For her part, Senator Tina Smith also expressed concern, calling the detentions "a deeply disturbing pattern where ICE detains students with little to no explanation ... and ignores their rights to due process." 

The senator vowed to continue to press the government for answers about these arrests and to work with federal immigration authorities to shed light on the cases.