Pooja Singh
The University of Minnesota international student detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers (ICE) last Thursday was targeted for a DUI, according to a lawsuit filed by the student.
Doğukan Günaydin, an MBA student in the Carlson School of Management and Turkish citizen, pleaded guilty in March 2024 to driving under the influence in Minneapolis the previous year, according to court records.
Günaydin had not participated in protests on campus or been vocal about political issues, the New York Times reported Monday. He was booked into Sherburne County jail in Elk River, 30 miles from campus.
The lawsuit alleges that Günaydin’s visa was unlawfully terminated and his right to due process was violated by detaining him without being charged with an immigration violation, Sahan Journal reported. He also reportedly “feared he was being kidnapped” by the plain-clothes ICE officers.
In an email statement to the Minnesota Daily, the Department of Homeland Security said Günaydin’s visa was revoked by the State Department for the DUI and “is not related to student protests.”
The lawsuit lists President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and several other federal officials as defendants.
Hannah Brown, Günaydin’s lawyer, did not respond to a request for comment.
A Minnesota State University student was detained by ICE on Friday, Sahan Journal reported. This also occurred at an off-campus residence, according to an email sent by the school’s president to students and employees.
“Snatching up students who come here legally to work hard and get an education does not make you tough on immigration,” Gov. Tim Walz said on X Monday evening. “We need answers.”
“My office and I are doing all we can to get information about this concerning case,” Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote on X after the news broke on Friday.
In a statement on Friday, the University of Minnesota’s Graduate Labor Union said ICE’s actions are “an affront to our civil liberties and the tenants of academic freedom.”
The union organized a protest for Monday at noon outside of Johnston Hall in solidarity with international workers. Further protests are scheduled for this week, as well as a Know Your Rights virtual training on April 4 hosted by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and Educators for Justice in Palestine.
The Graduate Labor Union and AFSCME, the union for clerical, technical and healthcare workers, addressed a list of demands for University President Rebecca Cunningham on Monday. Among the demands are a clear commitment to defending immigrant workers expanding Know Your Rights training for students and workers.
“We urge the University and its partners to do everything possible to defend all students, faculty, and staff, regardless of their nation of origin,” the Council of Graduate Students wrote in a statement Friday.