By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Thursday 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, Yousof Azizi has appeared on media outlets like Sky News and BBC Persian, as well as the Middle East Institute think tank, offering commentary on Iran and U.S.-Iran relations. He was a PhD candidate at the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The Department of Homeland Security said Azizi was arrested on Monday 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 make up a voluntary paramilitary organization affiliated with Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The DHS statement did not offer specifics or evidence on Azizi's alleged membership.
Washington has designated the IRGC as a "foreign terrorist organization."
President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has been condemned by rights groups for what they see as due process and free speech violations.
The DHS said Azizi came to the U.S. in 2013 on a student visa. The student visa status was terminated "for failure to re-enroll in the Fall 2025 semester" at his school, DHS added, saying he will remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and receive due process.
A representative of Azizi could not immediately be contacted.
The Council on American Islamic Relations called for 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," CAIR said. Azizi's rights were violated because of his detention "allegedly because of his criticism" of the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, CAIR added.
The Trump administration has also attempted to deport people who make pro-Palestinian statements and have criticized U.S. support for Israel during its assault on Gaza and its war in Lebanon.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
