A University of Minnesota international graduate student was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Thursday night, the school said in a letter to students, faculty and staff on Friday. The letter from U President Rebecca Cunningham called it a “deeply concerning situation involving one of our international graduate students” and said that the school had no prior knowledge of the detainment and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred. The graduate student, who is enrolled on the U’s Twin Cities campus, was detained at an off-campus residence Thursday, according to the letter, which did not identify the student or the student’s nationality or field of study. It was unclear if federal immigration authorities had announced the student’s detention. The arrest came as people with ties to American universities, most of whom have shown support for pro-Palestinian causes, have been detained in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants. President Donald Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being “pro-Hamas,” referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel’s actions in the war against Hamas in Gaza. Trump’s administration has cited a seldom-invoked statute authorizing the secretary of state to revoke visas of noncitizens who could be considered a threat to foreign policy interests. More than half a dozen people are known to have been taken into custody or deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in recent weeks. Last month, the University of Minnesota was one of five U.S. universities singled out by the Trump investigation over allegations of antisemitism. Since the outcry over campus protests, universities, including Minnesota, say they have taken steps to address antisemitism. Meanwhile, the U is working to find out more details about what happened, Cunningham’s letter said. “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,” the letter said, noting that the school’s public safety and police staff don’t enforce federal immigration laws or ask about anyone’s immigration status. “Their focus remains on public safety, fostering trust and maintaining strong relationships across the University community.” The letter said that as school officials work to find out more, the school has  information, resources and FAQs about federal immigration policies available on the Rapid Response website. “We understand how distressing this news may be for members of our University community. If you or someone you know needs mental health support during this time, please visit mentalhealth.umn.edu, which connects you to resources across all five campuses.” Related Articles University of Minnesota resident physicians announce intent to unionize Trump administration cuts funding for Minnesota research on vaccines, health care access U of M, Essentia, Fairview to continue talks with facilitator University of Minnesota, under federal scrutiny, limits its political speech U of M says it’s committed to combating antisemitism amid federal probes ...read more read less