"As far as we know right now, ICE is yet to provide any justification for their actions, so we are not sure if this persecution is politically motivated, as has been seen in other universities around the country."

HOUSTON, March 27 (Xinhua) -- At least six noncitizen students studying in U.S. higher education have been detained by federal agents so far in March.

According to the records on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website on Thursday, Iranian national Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama, is currently held in an ICE "detention facility."

The university confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that a doctoral student was "detained off campus by federal immigration authorities" but did not disclose any personal information.

"Federal privacy laws limit what can be shared about an individual student. International students studying at the University are valued members of the campus community, and International Student and Scholar Services are available to assist international students who have questions." said the university in the statement.

"As far as we know right now, ICE is yet to provide any justification for their actions, so we are not sure if this persecution is politically motivated, as has been seen in other universities around the country." the University of Alabama College Democrats said in a statement on Wednesday.

ICE detained Doroudi at home early Tuesday morning, according to The Crimson White, the university's official student newspaper. It was unclear why he was targeted and what charges he may face.

Also on Tuesday, Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen, was arrested by ICE agents, sparking widespread outrage as a video going viral showed that masked federal agents in plainclothes approached and arrested her on a street in Boston. Her lawyer said she was heading to meet her friends and break her Ramadan fast.

"We unequivocally condemn the abduction of a young Muslim hijab-wearing scholar by masked federal agents in broad daylight. This alarming act of repression is a direct assault on free speech and academic freedom," said Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, executive director of the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, in a statement following Ozturk's arrest.

Ozturk has not been charged so far. But the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump said she had shown support for Hamas and was arrested for "glorifying and supporting terrorists," though no evidence has been presented. U.S. media outlets reported that Ozturk last year co-wrote with three other students an opinion piece in the Tufts student newspaper, supporting calls for the university to "acknowledge the Palestinian genocide."

In mid-March, Columbia University student Leqaa Korda, who was involved in last year's pro-Palestinian protests, was arrested for allegedly overstaying her visa. According to the Department of Homeland Security, she is a Palestinian from the West Bank.

Meanwhile, a 21-year-old Columbia undergraduate, Yunseo Chung, who is a permanent U.S. resident, is facing a deportation order for involvement in Gaza solidarity protests. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled that she cannot be detained.

According to ICE records, Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University who also participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests last year, used the CBP Home app to self-deport this month.

On March 8, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate and a leader in last year's pro-Palestinian protests, was arrested at a student apartment in New York.

Following Khalil's arrest, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, calling Khalil a "Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student" and declaring, "This is the first arrest of many to come."

"We will find, apprehend and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country -- never to return again," Trump wrote.

Khalil and his lawyers have denied any support for Hamas or ties to the group. He is currently detained in the Louisiana state and faces deportation despite holding permanent U.S. residency with no criminal history.

The Trump administration is primarily targeting international students involved in pro-Palestinian campus protests, using a law that allows the Secretary of State to deport noncitizens who threaten U.S. foreign policy, local analysts observe.