Iranian studies professor released after days of ‘wrongful’ detention by US immigration agency

A University of Oklahoma professor specializing in Iranian studies was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend despite holding a valid H‑1B visa, and was released on Tuesday.

Professor Vahid Abedini, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma’s Boren College of International Studies, was detained Saturday while attempting to board a flight to Washington, D.C., where he was scheduled to present at the annual Middle East Studies Association (MESA) conference, according to US media reports.

Colleague Joshua Landis said Abedini had done “everything right,” from maintaining legal status to building a strong academic record, yet was taken into custody with no clear explanation.

Abedini was first held at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office before being transferred to ICE custody on Monday, the reports added.

On Tuesday, however, Abedini announced his release from custody, describing his experience as “deeply distressing.”

He thanked the university, MESA, and “the wider Iran studies and political science community” for contributing to his release, while lamenting the situation of those detained by US officials, who did not enjoy the support he does.

The detention came as the Trump administration accelerates preparations for the largest mass-deportation operation in US history.

The recently enacted so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” allocates $45 billion to expand detention capacity to nearly 100,000 beds, $14 billion for removal operations, and $8 billion to hire 10,000 new deportation officers.

Department of Homeland Security public affairs chief Tricia McLaughlin has openly stated that the administration intended to “surge arrest numbers,” saying the agency now had more resources than ever to mount sweeping enforcement actions.

“It’s horrifying,” Landis said, stressing that Abedini was "wrongfully detained." 

“He (Abedini)’s been a model colleague…,” he added, noting, “Everyone is stunned that something like this could happen.”

Other scholars echoed the alarm. Dr. Vali Nasr of Johns Hopkins University, speaking from the MESA conference, called the incident “chilling,” warning that the lack of discernment in enforcement could deter international academics from working or studying in the United States.

The incident adds to a pattern of heavy-handed tactics and opaque detention practices that civil liberties advocates have been documenting for years.

Even as ICE emphasizes its focus on undocumented immigrants with criminal records, data has consistently shown that visa holders, asylum seekers, and legal residents are swept up in enforcement actions.

Earlier, Landis had noted that a “bevy of lawyers” were working on the case, emphasizing that Abedini’s immigration status was clean and fully documented.

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