Doğukan Günaydın, a 28-year-old Turkish student at the University of Minnesota, has found himself at the center of a legal battle after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Günaydın, a graduate business student, was arrested on the street outside his home in St. Paul by two plainclothes federal officers. The sudden and forceful nature of the arrest left him fearing he was being kidnapped, as one of the officers in a hooded sweatshirt grabbed and handcuffed him.
His legal team quickly responded by filing a lawsuit demanding his immediate release, arguing that his arrest violated his rights. According to the petition, Günaydın was given little explanation for his detention, with authorities only citing the retroactive revocation of his F-1 student visa.
However, online records indicate that his visa was not officially terminated until hours after his arrest, raising legal and procedural questions about the legitimacy of the action taken against him.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Günaydın was detained due to a prior conviction for drunken driving, denying that his detention had any political motivations.
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However, his attorneys argue that a DUI conviction is not grounds for student visa termination or deportation under DHS regulations. They also emphasized that Günaydın has not participated in any political activities or protests that could have influenced his detention.
Arrest and Legal Battle
Doğukan Günaydın’s arrest has drawn significant public and political attention, with Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, demanding answers from Homeland Security.
Walz expressed his concerns on social media, stating that detaining students who come to the U.S. legally for education is not a strong stance on immigration but rather a questionable use of federal authority.
The lawsuit argues that Günaydın’s detention is unlawful on multiple grounds. Firstly, it points out that his student visa was active at the time of his arrest and that it was revoked only after he was taken into custody.
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Secondly, the petition notes that he was not provided with a charging document or any formal hearing notice, leaving him and his legal representatives in the dark about the exact basis of his detention.
According to U.S. immigration law, individuals are entitled to be informed of the reasons for their arrest and to be given a chance to contest their detention, both of which were allegedly denied to Günaydın.
His legal team further argues that he was held for several hours without any explanation before being informed that his visa was revoked. Even then, the only justification provided was that he had “otherwise failed to maintain status.”
However, this classification typically applies to individuals who have dropped out of school, failed to meet academic requirements, or engaged in unauthorized employment—none of which apply to Günaydın. His attorneys argue that the retroactive cancellation of his visa appears to be an arbitrary and baseless decision that violates due process.
Drunken Driving Conviction and Its Implications
Günaydın’s arrest is linked to a drunken driving conviction from June 2023. According to court records, he was arrested in Minneapolis after a police officer observed him driving erratically. A preliminary breath test showed his blood alcohol content at 0.20%, significantly above the legal limit of 0.08%. A second test conducted 90 minutes later registered 0.17%.
Following his arrest, Günaydın pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of drunken driving. He was sentenced to time served—four days in custody—and was required to complete one day of community service in place of additional jail time.
Additionally, he paid a fine of $528. His legal team has emphasized that he complied fully with all sentencing requirements, maintained a clean record since the incident, and has had no further legal troubles aside from a minor speeding ticket in 2021.
The petition highlights that, while DUI offenses are serious, they do not typically serve as grounds for the immediate revocation of a student visa or deportation. In fact, DHS maintains a list of offenses that can lead to visa termination, and DUI is not among them unless it is part of a pattern of repeated offenses or accompanied by other criminal activity.
Günaydın’s legal representatives argue that using his single DUI conviction as justification for his detention is a misapplication of immigration law.
Additionally, his plea agreement explicitly stated that he understood that his conviction could impact his immigration status. However, his legal team contends that this does not mean his deportation or visa termination was inevitable, particularly since he had already been accepted into the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business, maintained a full course load, and upheld a high GPA.
They argue that revoking his visa based on a past conviction that had already been addressed in court sets a dangerous precedent for other international students.
Ongoing Detention and Legal Uncertainty
Since his arrest, Günaydın has been held at Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minnesota, a facility that also houses federal detainees. He was initially informed that he would have a hearing before an immigration judge on April 8.
However, as of the filing of his lawsuit, neither he nor his legal team had received a formal charging document or a notice of the hearing. This lack of transparency has fueled concerns about due process violations and has intensified the calls for his immediate release.
Günaydın’s lawsuit requests several key actions from the court. It demands his immediate release from ICE custody, a formal declaration that his arrest and continued detention are illegal, and the restoration of his student visa status.
His attorneys argue that, even if he is eventually freed, his detention has already had a chilling effect on other international students, discouraging them from speaking openly about their rights and legal protections.
Beyond the legal realm, the case has sparked broader debates about the treatment of international students in the U.S. and the implications of immigration enforcement policies. Advocates argue that cases like Günaydın’s create uncertainty and fear among foreign students, who may feel that even minor infractions could jeopardize their ability to continue their education.
Universities and student organizations have also expressed concern that aggressive immigration enforcement could deter talented students from studying in the U.S.
As the legal battle unfolds, Günaydın’s fate remains uncertain. If his lawsuit is successful, it could set a precedent for how student visas are handled in cases involving minor legal infractions. If unsuccessful, it could reinforce a stricter approach to immigration enforcement that may impact thousands of international students across the country.
The outcome of this case will likely have far-reaching consequences, not just for Günaydın but for the broader international student community in the U.S.