Friday morning, the Fort Snelling Immigration Court held the bond hearing for Doğukan Gunaydin, 28-year-old Turkish University of Minnesota graduate student detained on Mar. 27. Gunaydin, who has been held in detention for over two weeks, had his B-1/B-2 visa revoked by the U.S. Department of State, according to the prosecutor, for a driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrest in June of 2023.
The prosecutor, a federal attorney arguing against Gunyadin, claimed that Gunaydin’s 2023 DWI made him a threat to public safety. According to the prosecutor, Gunaydin had been driving recklessly before being pulled over, in a traffic stop that saw him measure a blood alcohol content of 0.2, which is more than double Minnesota’s legal limit.
However, Hannah Brown, Gunaydin’s attorney, argued that since the stop, Gunaydin had sold his car and no longer held a valid license. Without the ability to drive, Brown contended that Gunaydin couldn’t pose a threat to public safety if released.
During the proceedings, the prosecutor also mentioned that, because of this incident, Gunaydin’s B1/B2 visa had been revoked. However, as Immigration Judge Sarah Mazzie remarked, it was incorrectly reported by the prosecution that his F-1 visa was revoked, not his B1/B2.
After nearly an hour, Mazzie ended the public session. Brown confirmed that the decision will not be public, but will instead be issued to immigration officers and the case’s legal counsel, who can then decide whether or not to announce the decision publicly.
It is not known whether or not Brown will release the verdict. Brown said that, as long as the case is ongoing, she is unavailable for comment.
Outside of the courthouse, protesters assembled to support Gunaydin in his legal battle. Members of the University’s Graduate Labor Union (GLU) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) spoke out against Gunaydin’s detention, calling his detention unethical.
“It’s obvious to everyone at the U, or at least the faculty, students and staff, that this is not a just detention or deportation,” said Leila Yorek Sundin, a member of SDS. “He’s being held with no real cause, and he’s been threatened to have his whole life taken away. He can’t finish his degree if you send him back home.”
GLU Financial Secretary David Munkvold echoed Yorek’s sentiment. Munkvold said the union and its members plan to fight to protect graduate students, and members of the University community as a whole, from wrongdoing at the hands of University, state or federal officials.
“We believe that this detention is morally reprehensible, we believe it’s illegal,” said Munkvold “We think he should be out here among us, pursuing his studies and living his life without the fear of deportation.”
Munkvold said that GLU members have been outraged by the detention, especially knowing that Gunaydin has already faced the consequences of his arrest.
“This is someone who, like many of our workers, came to the U of M to get education to improve their lives and the lives of their communities,” Munkveld said. “The fact that someone can just be kidnapped off the street for a crime that they already dealt with the consequences of, and already have been through the justice system, it doesn’t make sense.”
Munkvold is not alone in his apprehension for the justice system. SDS member Kyle Feldhake said he has also felt a lot of anger towards the circumstances surrounding his arrest, and condemned the Trump administration for their hastiness.
Feldhake said that, in their rush to seize visas and apprehend immigrants, the Trump administration has made many errors, similar to the ones seen today.
“I don’t know too many details about this specific situation but the whole Trump administration has been very sloppy,” Feldhake said. “I’m not surprised by it, that they’re trying to rush things through and not do their due diligence, that’s been the whole approach of the Trump administration.”
