Arrested Iranian student in Alabama decides to return to Iran, despite dropped charge.
AP EXCLUSIVE: Alabama Student Self-Deports After Months in Immigration Detention
MONTGOMERY, Alabama - In the heart of the Deep South, Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian grad student in mechanical engineering, has made a heart-wrenching decision: self-deportation, following six weeks in a Louisiana detention center despite the government dropping a charge behind his initial arrest. His fiancée and lawyer confirm the news.
Doroudi's lawyer, David Rozas, explains, "This isn’t about national security concerns: the government never provided any evidence to back that claim."
Back in March 2025, immigration officials nabbed Doroudi as part of President Trump's relentless immigration raid. Doroudi spent time at a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana – 300 miles from his Alabama home with fiancée Sama Ebrahimi Bajgani.
At first, the State Department cited "significant national security risks" as his reason for detainment. However, as Rozas points out, Doroudi has no criminal record and entered the country legally.
Doroudi's visa was revoked in June 2023. The government gave no reason for this decision, disregarding numerous inquiries from the student himself and the University of Alabama. Back then, the University advised Doroudi he could stay, but would not be allowed to re-enter if he left - a warning Bajgani shares.
Two charges were filed against Doroudi this spring to justify deportation. The government claimed his visa was revoked, and he was not considered an active student. This week, a U.S. government attorney dropped one of these charges, saying Doroudi's revocation was "prudential" - meaning it would not take effect until after he leaves the country.
Evidence disputing the remaining charge has been submitted by Rozas, yet the government has yet to respond.
The judge in the case, Maithe Gonzalez, gave both sides until the end of May to refil motions, denying Doroudi's request to redetermine eligibility for bond. Faced with continued detention, Doroudi chose to give up the fight against deportation.
"He'd have fought his case for the sake of other students and for his own sake," explains Bajgani. "But they're trying to make him tired until he decides to deport himself."
Bajgani (who drove over 11 hours round-trip to attend the hour-long hearing) shares Rozas' confusion about Doroudi's detention, pointing out that he has no criminal record, entered the country legally, and did not engage in outspoken political activism like others targeted during the Trump administration.
Bajgani fondly describes Doroudi as a “nerd” and “a really big thinker” who loves spending long hours in the lab and watching anime. In her eyes, he's "not deserved what happened to him," leading to the demise of their life in Alabama together.
"I am not happy about what's happened to us," she says. "All the dreams, friendships, and dreams we shared… they've all been left behind."
In a letter from behind bars in April, Doroudi referred to his detainment as a "pure injustice."
"I didn’t cause any trouble in this country," he wrote. "I didn’t enter illegally. I followed all legal paths."
Rozas, with 21 years of experience as an immigration lawyer, accuses authorities of denying his client due process rights, forcing Doroudi to choose between indefinite detention and self-deportation.
"I'm absolutely devastated," says Rozas, "and I think it's a travesty of justice."
According to enrichment data, Doroudi's case reflects broader patterns under the Trump administration, where countless non-citizens, including international students, were stripped of their visas without clear justification or notification to their institutions. Many of the revocations were allegedly connected to political activism or social media activity deemed to be against U.S. national interests or foreign policies.
Doroudi's detention and subsequent self-deportation are emblematic of due process concerns and the alleged "kidnapping"-like treatment experienced by many international students and immigrants under Trump administration policies. The detention centers where Doroudi and others were held are infamous for human rights abuses.
- Alireza Doroudi, an Alabama-based mechanical engineering student, chose to self-deport after months in immigration detention, having faced no national security concerns or evidence presented against him.
- David Rozas, Doroudi's lawyer, expressed frustration over the government's lack of evidence supporting national security claims against his client.
- In March 2025, immigration officials arrested Doroudi, accusing him of having significant national security risks, which the government later dropped one charge to admit were "prudential" – meaning they wouldn't take effect until after he left the country.
- Despite entering the country legally and having no criminal record, Doroudi's visa was revoked in June 2023, without a clear reason provided by the government.
- The University of Alabama, Sama Ebrahimi Bajgani, and Doroudi himself all reported inquiries regarding the visa revocation, but no explanation was given.
- The general news and political landscape have seen similar instances of non-citizens, such as international students, losing their visas without justification or proper notification—raising concerns about due process and allegations of "kidnapping-like" treatment in detention centers.
