Trump administration attempts to deport Iranian media commentator Yousof Azizi

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WASHINGTON – The Trump administration said on April 16 that it was attempting to deport an Iranian academic and media commentator, who it alleged had lied on his visa application, prompting criticism from a Muslim advocacy group which cast his detention as a crackdown on Iranian voices amid the Iran war.

Over the years, Mr Yousof Azizi has appeared on media outlets such as Sky News and BBC Persian, as well as the Middle East Institute think-tank, offering commentary on Iran and US-Iran relations. He is a PhD candidate at the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Mr Azizi was arrested on April 13 for allegedly lying on his visa application.

“Azizi lied on his visa application and denied ever being a member of the Student Basij Organization in Iran, which supports the IRGC, from approximately 2006-2010,” a DHS spokesperson said.

The DHS statement was referring to the pro-government student Basij group in Iran that makes up a voluntary paramilitary organisation affiliated with Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The DHS statement did not offer specifics or evidence on Mr Azizi’s alleged membership.

Washington has designated the IRGC as a “foreign terrorist organisation”.

US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has been condemned by rights groups for what they see as due process and free speech violations.

DHS said Mr Azizi came to the US in 2013 on a student visa. The student visa status was terminated “for failure to re-enrol in the fall 2025 semester” at his school, DHS added, saying that he will remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and receive due process.

A representative of Mr Azizi could not immediately be contacted.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for Mr Azizi’s release from the custody of ICE, which is part of DHS.

“The Trump administration is once again using ICE as a secret police,” the council said. It added that Mr Azizi’s rights were violated because of his detention “allegedly because of his criticism” of the US and Israel’s war against Iran.

The Trump administration has also attempted to deport people who make pro-Palestinian statements and have criticised US support for Israel during its assault on Gaza and its war in Lebanon. REUTERS