The president of Minnesota State University-Mankato, who had one of their students detained by federal immigration authorities last week, says five others have had their visas terminated.
School President Edward Inch told the student government Wednesday night that those students "will need to return to their country of origin at some point within the next 60 days," and says the student who was detained by ICE last Friday at an off-campus residence is still in custody.
Governor Tim Walz (D) spoke about the ICE detentions in Minnesota in a wide-ranging conversation with WCCO's Adam Carter Thursday morning, questioning the tactics and reasons for them.
"These folks are here legally," says Walz. "They're documented. They're attending higher education. Most of them are studying in the sciences, whether it be medicine, computer science, or whatever. And these are the folks that they're scooping up off the streets of Mankato."
Walz says he questions if his association with Mankato is partly responsible for the federal government's interest in the school and its international students.
The Governor added the he believes the school has had more ICE detentions than any other in the country.
The Mankato school did not name the student, nor give the student's nationality or field of study. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for details on that case.
“This is becoming a deeply concerning pattern, where ICE detains students with little to no explanation ... and ignores their rights to due process,” U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in a statement. “I will keep pressing the administration for answers about these arrests and work to get answers from federal immigration authorities about this case.”
Earlier this week, a University of Minnesota graduate student who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement was taken into custody because of a drunken driving infraction, not for being involved in protests, federal officials said.
“This is not related to student protests," Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement. "The individual in question was arrested after a visa revocation by the State Dept. related to a prior criminal history for a DUI.”
News of the student's detention — and the lack of an official explanation — sparked student protests and expressions of concern from university and political leaders.
Walz told reporters Monday that he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about it Friday and was still waiting for further details.