Update: 20250625 – 4:32pm
BATON ROUGE, LA (6/25/2025) – Two Iranian-born LSU students were arrested this week by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement at their off-campus apartment in Baton Rouge, the university has confirmed. LSU spokesman Todd Woodward said the two students are married but could not confirm additional details.
An anonymous tip to the Illuminator identified the two persons arrested by name and said they were arrested at their apartment. Both are Ph.D. students at LSU in mechanical engineering.
The Illuminator confirmed on ICE’s online detainee database that Pouria Pourhosseinhendabad was in custody. The website did not list where he was being held.
The Illuminator is withholding the name of Pourhosseinhendabad’s wife until her status can be confirmed.
Their apparent arrests come after President Donald Trump authorized the U.S. military to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend. ICE has reported multiple arrests of Iranian nationals in the U.S. since then, including at least one other Iranian woman in Louisiana, the Times- Picayune reported.
It is not yet known why these two students were targeted for arrest.
ICE has not responded to a request for comment for this report.
LSU enrolls thousands of international students, many of them seeking advanced degrees. According to a 2024 report from the Institute of International Education, there are over 1 million international students enrolled in U.S. colleges in universities, approximately 12,000 of whom are from Iran.
To study in the United States, international graduate students like the two from LSU arrested this week need to be accepted not only by their university, department and faculty adviser, but also obtain legal status from the U.S. State Department.
The two students had legal status in order to attend LSU. It is unknown yet whether their visas have been revoked.
Inside Higher Ed has identified nearly 2,000 international students and recent graduates who have had their legal status suddenly changed. Attorneys for many of the students have alleged they were targeted for their speech. The Trump administration announced earlier this year it would monitor immigrants’ social media for “antisemitism.”
At least 16 of those students attended school in Louisiana.
The Trump administration has cracked down on international students they say have forfeited their right to be educated in the U.S., leaving hundreds at risk of deportation.
This is a developing story.
Original Article
BATON ROUGE, LA (6/25/2025) – Two Iranian-born LSU students were arrested this week by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement at their off-campus apartment in Baton Rouge, the university has confirmed.
LSU spokesman Todd Woodward said the two students are married but could not confirm additional details.
An anonymous tip to the Illuminator identified the two persons arrested by name and said they were arrested at their apartment. Both are Ph.D. students at LSU in mechanical engineering.
The Illuminator confirmed on ICE’s online detainee database that Pouria Pourhosseinhendabad was in custody. The website did not list where he was being held.
The Illuminator is withholding the name of Pourhosseinhendabad’s wife until her status can be confirmed.
Their apparent arrests come after President Donald Trump authorized the U.S. military to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend. ICE has reported multiple arrests of Iranian nationals in the U.S. since then.
ICE has not responded to a request for comment for this report.
This is a developing story.
SOURCE: Louisiana Illuminator REPORTER: PIPER HUTCHINSON
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