ICE Arrests University of Alabama Doctoral Student

An Iranian doctoral student who was studying at the University of Alabama has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

"The University of Alabama recently learned that a doctoral student has been detained off campus by federal immigration authorities," the school said in a statement on Wednesday. "Federal privacy laws limit what can be shared about an individual student."

International students are "valued members of the campus community," the university added.

The student newspaper, The Crimson White, identified the man arrested as Alireza Doroudi, who is in the United States on a student visa. It is unclear what charges Doroudi is facing, why he was detained, or if he has obtained a lawyer.

According to the school paper, Doroudi is a doctoral candidate studying mechanical engineering. He was reportedly arrested at 5 a.m. ET Tuesday at home.

Citing ICE records, NBC News reported that Doroudi is currently being held in a "detention facility."

Newsmax has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

In a Wednesday statement, the University of Alabama College Democrats said the group was aware of Doroudi's arrest and detainment.

"Our fears have come to pass," the College Democrats' statement read. "[President] Donald Trump, [border czar] Tom Homan and ICE have struck a cold, vicious dagger through the heart of UA's international community. As far as we know right now, ICE is yet to provide any justification for their actions, so we are not sure if this persecution is politically motivated, as has been seen in other universities across the country."

Most of the foreign students targeted by the Trump administration have been involved in the anti-Israel protests that roiled college and university campuses across the country last year. The administration is reportedly seeking to use a law that authorizes the secretary of state to deport noncitizens who threaten the foreign policy of the nation.

Doroudi's arrest comes the same week as that of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University graduate student from Turkey, who was arrested by ICE agents on the street in Massachusetts. According to DHS, Ozturk was arrested for "glorifying and supporting terrorists" and for showing support for Hamas, the Palestinian political party and militant group.

Other current or former students who have been seized or had federal warrants issued for their arrest in recent weeks include Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who is being held in Louisiana and fighting deportation, and Columbia student Yunseo Chung, 21, who is a permanent U.S. resident.

Chung is also facing a deportation order, but is not being held after a judge ruled this week that she cannot be detained.