University of Maryland School of Pharmacy instructor Berhanu Kibret won a teacher of the year award this month right before federal immigration enforcement agents arrested him for allegedly overstaying his visa.
  • nkat2112@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    4 days ago

    I hear you, ICE appears to be claiming that his visa expired two years earlier. Do you find it curious that the university is claiming otherwise?

    I wasn’t able to access this article, but the university is maintaining that Dr. Kibret does have a valid work visa:

    UMB said Kibret has a valid work authorization.

    The university representative wrote in a statement sent to WBAL-TV 11 News, in part: “The university is greatly troubled by what has happened. Dr. Kibret is a highly valued member of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, community. He is an effective and beloved teacher, and a highly regarded colleague. His detention will certainly generate not only great sympathy for his plight, but also a heightened sense of apprehension here on campus.”

    Prior to joining the UMB faculty in 2023, Kibret worked at William Paterson University as a postdoctoral researcher focusing on the causes and treatment of addiction, specifically in the field of cannabinoid receptors and the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse.

    “It is our hope that any issues surrounding his status will be quickly resolved and that he will be permitted to continue his work at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy,” the university said.

    The source in this case is:

    https://www.wbaltv.com/article/umb-instructor-detained-dallas-airport-berhanu-kibret/73320288

    But I’m hoping the referenced article also cites the university’s claim. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.

    Given this man’s excellent scientific background, credentials, and that he’s the recipient of this prestigious award, one can understand how the pedophile fascists like to shoot themselves in the foot multiple times. Though I suppose, this is just one example of so many.

    • TIEPilot@lemmy.world
      0·
      4 days ago

      Oh we should keep this guy in the US, I love that we brain drain the rest of the world for our benefit. But you got to play by the rules.

      If its a clerical error great, he’ll be back among us in no time. If not, small legal kerfuffle and it gets straightened out.

      And what the University “claims” means fuck all to the Feds. My guess is the University was supposed to keep him here legally and dropped the ball and forgot to renew his visa.

      • Oofnik@kbin.melroy.org
        0·
        4 days ago

        I don’t think you have the right attitude toward the human element of these cases even on a charitable read of your comment. Have you ever been wrongly imprisoned? Do you think being wrongly imprisoned, even if you are ultimately released, would have no psychological or social effect on you as a person? As someone who has lived as a white person in the US and as a minority elsewhere, I assure you, being treated with suspicion until proven otherwise is not anywhere close to as innocuous as you seem to think.

      • njm1314@lemmy.world
        0·
        4 days ago

        Never occurred to you that ICE, a criminal organization that commits murders on the street and has been shown to be incompetent and make mistakes constantly, could be the source of the fuck up? That never crossed your mind? You just have that much faith in them huh?