The University of Maryland (UMD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have recently confirmed that last month, a faculty member from the UMD School of Pharmacy was detained by federal immigration officials at Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
UMD’s statement confirmed that on July 21st, Dr. Berhanu Kibret, who teaches at the university, was arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport after attending a work conference of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The university stated that he had a valid work permit.
DHS, in a statement to CBS Baltimore, revealed that Kibret is suspected of “unlawful presence” in the United States.
According to the statement, Kibret is from Ethiopia and entered the U.S. with a valid visa on June 21, 2021. After the visa expired on May 31, 2024, he continued to stay in the country.
Currently, the U.S. government is encouraging illegal immigrants to depart voluntarily and is offering them $2600 and a free plane ticket.
UMD mentioned that Kibret started working at the university in 2023 and had previously been a postdoctoral researcher at William Paterson University.
It is not clear at this time what type of immigrant application or protected status Dr. Kibret’s work permit was based on. UMD and Dr. Kibret’s lawyer have not publicly clarified this yet.
(Reference: CBS NEWS)