Mystery, Fear Surround ICE Detention Of U Of MN Grad Student

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Questions remain unanswered after a University of Minnesota graduate student was detained by U.S. immigration authorities Thursday for reasons that have not been disclosed.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took the student into custody at an off-campus residence, according to university officials. The university said it was not notified in advance of the detention and did not share any information with federal authorities.

The student’s name and nationality have not been released.

"My office and I are doing all we can to get information about this concerning case," Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a statement. "We’re in contact with the University and understand they had no prior warning or information that led to this detainment."

The university’s graduate labor union held a protest Saturday outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in downtown Minneapolis, responding to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which has increasingly affected individuals with ties to American colleges and universities.

"An increasing number of international students are being detained without due process across the country," University of Minnesota Graduate Labor Union-United Electrical Local 1105 said in a statement.

"These constitutional violations are part of a larger plan to continue stripping our rights away from us, starting with immigrants. It will not stop there."

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he is in touch with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research," Walz wrote on X. "We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers."

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the case "deeply troubling."

"Educational environments must be places where all students can focus on learning and growing without fear," he said on social media.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.