The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for immediate release of Yousuf Azizi, a doctoral student at Virginia Tech who was detained by ICE on Monday.
Yousuf Azizi is a PhD student in Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech. He is the father of two young children. Azizi has a large following online where he has, for years, discussed American policy toward Iran. He has been critical of the war on Iran. On April 13, on his way home from taking his kids to school, he was detained by ICE agents who were waiting outside of his house. The ICE agents then reportedly tried to enter his house without a warrant but were refused by Azizi’s spouse.
He was reportedly taken to the ICE Facility in Baltimore then transferred to either a facility in California or Louisiana on April 14th, despite a habeas petition and motion for a bond hearing being filed in Maryland before he was transferred. He has reportedly not been permitted to speak to his family or attorneys since his transfer. He had valid legal status at the time he was detained.
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“The Trump administration is once again using ICE as a secret police to target those who speak out against injustice and war crimes. Detaining Mr. Azizi allegedly because of his criticism of the illegal U.S. war on Iran is an egregious violation of civil and human rights and our Constitution. We call on the administration to release Mr. Azizi immediately.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com