MINNEAPOLIS – Under Congressional pressure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the arrest of a foreign student Thursday at the University of Minnesota was because of a drunk-driving arrest. Details in the agency statement were scant – no name, no age, no home country. Homeland Security, which oversees the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, said the student had “a prior criminal history for a DUI.” One DUI? Dozen? Any conviction? The reaction on campus was incredulousness. While drunken driving is hardly virtuous, does it warrant arrest by a team of federal secret agents and deportation? Most DUI arrests are misdemeanors handled by local police and local courts and punishable with a fine. The University of Minnesota arrest was within days of high-profile student arrests at Columbia and Tufts universities for expressing objections to the Israeli war on Gaza. About the arrest at the University of Minnesota, the sparse Homeland statement said it was “not related to student protests.”
Verbatim
University of Minnesota response to Homeland Security explanation: “We are actively working to gather more details about this incident. In cases like this, the University takes steps to ensure students are connected to internal resources and support, such as Student Legal Service and International Student and Scholar Services.”
Rubio. A U.S. senator from Florida who became Trump’s choice to head the State Department in January. Has backed the Trump project to rid the country of every foreign person with even the slightest transgression.
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Rubio: “They’re visitors to the country. If they’re taking activities that are counter to our foreign policy, to our national interest, we’ll revoke the visa.” A DUI?