ICE Detains Iranian Professor for 3 Days for "Standard Questioning"

""It was a deeply distressing experience, especially seeing those without the support I had,""

""My sincere thanks to my friends and colleagues at the University of Oklahoma, the Middle East Studies Association, and the wider Iran studies and political science community for helping resolve this.""

"He said that Abedini was "wrongfully detained" and had a valid H-1B visa, which allows immigrants with specialized skills to work in the U.S."

Vahid Abedini, an assistant professor of Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City while en route to the Middle East Studies Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C. He spent three days in detention and was released Monday night after what ICE described as standard questioning. Abedini called the experience deeply distressing and thanked colleagues and professional communities for assistance. University director Joshua Landis said Abedini was "wrongfully detained" and held a valid H-1B visa. Officials have not provided a reason for the detention.

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