Immigration authorities detained a University of Oklahoma professor of Iranian studies on Saturday while he was on his way to an academic conference in Washington, D.C., despite having a valid H-IB visa, a colleague said.

Newsweek contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and University of Oklahoma for comment via email outside office hours.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, specifically targeting those with violent criminal records, and his administration ramped up immigration enforcement since his return to office in January.

But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) and Border Patrol are facing increased scrutiny due to numerous allegations of misconduct, heavy-handed tactics and the detention

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