Overview
- Federal agents arrested University of Maryland instructor Dr. Berhanu Kibret at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on July 21 and he remains in ICE custody at the Diamondback Correctional Facility in Oklahoma pending immigration proceedings.
- Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. Fatima Ameaka was detained by ICE at Baltimore–Washington International Airport on July 28, moved through multiple detention centers, and was released from a Texas facility and returned to Maryland in late July.
- University officials and attorneys say both academics hold or held valid DHS-issued work authorization or have pending immigration applications that can allow continued work while cases are adjudicated, a claim DHS disputes in public statements.
- Advocates and former officials link the recent airport arrests to formalized TSA–ICE passenger-data sharing and new federal visa policies, noting the shift brings interior enforcement into routine travel checkpoints and can deter international scholars from flying.
- Attorneys report difficulty obtaining charging paperwork and hearing dates for detained academics, university groups warn the actions strain campuses and recruitment, and higher-education coalitions are preparing legal and advocacy responses.