BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Before March 25, Alireza Doroudi was a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, just finishing his degree in mechanical engineering and soon to be married.
Now, the man who came to the United States over two years ago to chase his version of the “American Dream” will soon be going back to Iran, a choice he made after being detained by immigration officers for 42 days.
During a master hearing Thursday afternoon, Doroudi asked an immigration court in Jena, Louisiana to allow him to deport himself back to Iran, which Judge Maithe Gonzalez granted.
Doroudi’s decision to go leave the country comes after he was detained by officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the early morning hours of March 25 at the apartment he and his fiancee shared in Tuscaloosa to pick him up on a revoked visa. Within a couple of days, he was taken to Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena, where he has remained ever since.
Despite the U.S. Department of Homeland Security labelling Doroudi as posing “significant security concerns,” no evidence was ever brought up to suggest he was a threat. In fact, with the exception of a speeding ticket in Greene County, Doroudi has not criminal record.
David Rozas, Doroudi’s attorney, said that during the hearing, he looked at him and said “I love this country, but they don’t want me here so I will go home.”
“In the face of this legal uncertainty and prolonged detention, Mr. Doroudi chose to leave voluntarily. This is not only a loss for him personally, but a setback for our system. When due process is delayed or denied, when charges are sustained without standing, and when individuals are forced to choose between uncertain length of detention in a country they feel no longer wants them, or leaving voluntarily, we must ask what kind of precedent we are setting not just for foreign students, but for fairness and justice in America.”
In January 2023, Doroudi came to America through a student visa he acquired from the U.S. Embassy in Oman. Within a few months, his visa had been inexplicably revoked, but his lawyers and student group assured him his SEVIS status was sound and he could remain in the country as long as he was a student. At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly applying for permanent residency in the U.S.
“The only charges brought against Mr. Doroudi were the revocation of his F-1 student visa and an allegation of ‘not being in status.’ However, the documentation submitted regarding the visa revocation made it clear that the revocation would only take effect upon his departure from the United States, not while he remained here,” Rozas said. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acknowledged this and indicated during the master hearing their intention to drop the charge. This acknowledges that the initial reason for arrest 45 days ago was an error.”
Rozas said Doroudi made the decision to self-deport after Gonzalez required DHS to submit their claims in writing and refused to grant bond until it had been put in writing.
As of Thursday night, Doroudi remains in Jena and no date has been set for his release.
Sama Ebrahimi Bajgani, Doroudi’s fiancee, previously told CBS 42 about how difficult the whole ordeal had been on both of them and how they were not keen on remaining in the U.S. anymore.
“Even if they let us stay, we would’ve completed our degrees and we would’ve left in the earliest time,” she said. “This is not a place to live. This is not a place to live the happy life and dream. This is not the freedom and American dream that they always talk about. It’s just something that is just for a group of people, not for everyone.”
Doroudi was set to complete his degree at UA next year.
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