Iranian-American scholar Yousof Azizi forced to leave US after FBI detention
PhD student Yousof Azizi was detained by FBI and ICE agents in April, accused of past Basij ties and visa violations, and later left the United States for Iran.
Yousof Azizi, a Virginia Tech doctoral student and well-known Persian-media analyst, was seized on an April morning when FBI and ICE agents arrived at his Baltimore residence, alleging past membership in Iran's Basij force and a lapse in his student-visa status. He was transferred through detention centers in Baltimore, Louisiana, Arizona and California, where he reported being handcuffed, shackled and subjected to cold, overcrowded conditions without proper bedding or medication.
The FBI had previously questioned him about his visa and his willingness to leave the country, and later presented a dossier linking him to an IRGC-circulated interview clip. Although he received 250 letters of academic support and advocacy from the National Iranian American Council, the authorities maintained he posed a flight and security risk. Choosing voluntary departure, Azizi left the US with his wife and two children on 30 June, planning to finish his dissertation from Iran and stating he will not return to the United States.
Why it matters
The case highlights concerns over how US law-enforcement agencies target Iranian diaspora critics amid geopolitical tensions.
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