A federal judge could decide as early as Friday whether a University of Minnesota international student detained by ICE more than two weeks ago will be released from custody.
Prosecutors asked the judge to keep Dogukan Gunaydin in jail until his court case is complete, saying he's a danger to public safety due to a 2023 drunk driving conviction.
Gunaydin pleaded guilty in the case and acknowledged he could be deported because of it.
His attorneys argued for his immediate release, saying he's cooperated and has stayed out of trouble since his arrest.
Supporters who showed up outside the courthouse also demanding Gunaydin's release, saying his detention is politically motivated and international students make mistakes like everyone else.
Günaydın, 28, a Turkish citizen, says two plainclothes federal officers arrested him on the street outside his St. Paul home while he was on his way to class Thursday.
“Doğukan feared he was being kidnapped as a man in a hooded sweatshirt grabbed him and handcuffed him,” according to his petition for release filed 10 days ago.
Günaydın was in the U.S. on a student visa until the Department of Homeland Security canceled it.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.