On Oct. 21, 2025, Yassine Halhoul, a University of Arizona international student from Morocco, was detained by Homeland Security Investigations before spending a month in Immigration Customs Enforcement detention.
Halhoul, 21, studied aerospace engineering as a UA student. He has a fiancée in Tucson and strongly believes in cultural diversity and accessibility for groups like low income or LGBTQ+ students. Halhoul was involved in numerous aspects of campus life, including running as a candidate for Associated Students of the University of Arizona student body president in 2023. He was due to graduate in the spring semester in 2025, but failed to meet certain requirements to do so. Halhoul decided to take classes at the UA for an additional semester in order to complete his degree beyond his expected date of graduation.
The F-1 student visa that he used to enter the United States was still valid until June 2026, as he would be maintaining his required student status. He also never violated the provision restricting him to University-offered employment. Halhoul worked as a dorm resident assistant, a research assistant, a sports supervisor with Campus Recreation and more.
However, the Department of Homeland Security has proposed changes to the F-1 duration that could pose challenges for their holders. According to Halhoul, it was a clerical issue that made him a target for ICE in light of mass raids across the country.
Halhoul spoke with the Copper Courier about his experience, saying he was woken up early in the morning when several HSI agents showed up at his house and told him to come with them to sort out a simple issue with his visa. To his surprise, he was then placed in handcuffs and dragged into a car.
Halhoul was originally transported to ICE’s Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center to be detained, about 60 miles from campus. He spent 3 days there, finally being able to talk to his mother after the first day. He was amazed by the number of people waiting to be processed or transported, waiting on plastic beds, according to Halhoul. He stayed in an area with several dozen other detainees resting on a number of packed bunk beds.
Halhoul was then transported to the controversial Eloy Detention Center, a private prison near Casa Grade, which Halhoul found even worse than Florence.
Halhoul said that the first meal of the day — a white cereal and bread — was served at 4:00 a.m., during which detainees were woken up and had to walk to another building for breakfast. There was only one jug of coffee for the entire facility to share, and lunch and dinner were devoid of any protein. Dinner consisted soup and a ball of butter. While the commissary had some better food, detainees found it difficult to access. Halhoul lost 10 pounds while in detention.
Guards also set the air conditioning at very low temperatures at night to interfere with sleep and disrupt detainees attempts to cover the vents. Detainees also had to report to their cells six times a day to be counted, which frequently interrupted their daily activities. Halhoul passed his time doing things like reading and playing basketball.
After a GoFundMe raised the necessary funds to get a $10,000 bond on Nov. 13 and a further $8,500 for his legal expenses, Halhoul finally returned to Tucson, now brandishing an ankle monitor.
Halhoul said that he believed this to be part of an effort to scare immigrants away from coming to the United States — documented and undocumented alike. He also stated the importance for other international students to be aware of their rights and vowed to make a stand against the treatment of immigrants in detention facilities.
