100 back detained U student in court

More than 100 supporters gathered at the Fort Snelling Immigration Court on Friday morning to show solidarity with a University of Minnesota graduate student facing deportation.

Dogukan Günaydin, 28, is a citizen of Turkey who’s been jailed for two weeks. The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to deport Günaydin because of a drunken driving conviction.

Günaydin’s attorney, Hannah Brown, argued in court that Günaydin’s DWI offense didn’t amount to the level of public safety risk as alleged by the Department of Homeland Security. She said that when he was arrested on an early morning in June 2023, Günaydin was traveling at a low rate of speed in downtown Minneapolis.

Attorney Laura Trosen, representing the DHS, said impaired driving still poses a public safety threat, and she argued that the government has the authority to deport him.

Günaydin didn’t testify on his own behalf. Judge Sarah Mazzie said she will consider the arguments and issue a decision at a later date.

In addition to challenging his detention in immigration court, which is a division of the Justice Department, Günaydin has also filed a petition for his release in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.

Günaydin is scheduled for his removal hearing, which is a separate proceeding, next week.

Officials with the Minnesota State system — which includes seven universities and 26 colleges across the state — said at least two dozen students in the system have had their visas revoked or immigration records terminated.

Half of those students were at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Other schools with multiple students affected included St. Cloud State, and Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall. Those numbers do not include the University of Minnesota Twin Cities or other U campuses, or private institutions around the state.

Earlier this week, Metropolitan State University student Rattanand Ratsantiboon sued DHS to preserve his ability to remain a full-time student. The lawsuit alleges that DHS illegally terminated his student status.

The 31-year-old citizen of Thailand was convicted of a DWI offense in 2018 and completed the conditions of his probation in 2022.

— MPR News

Satellite post office without clerk for now

The long-standing U.S. Postal Service counter within the Oxendale’s Market at Hamline and Randolph avenues is still accepting stamped, prepackaged mail, but a contract dispute has removed a postal clerk from the last USPS location in St. Paul located within a street-corner grocery.

Grocery managers have declined to make official comment to the media on the details, but they’ve told customers that discussions around renewing the USPS contract at the market are ongoing. The clerk left about two months ago. A sign on the grocery’s front door reads: “Due to unforeseen circumstances the post office is CLOSED. We do not have a reopen date at this time. You can still drop off prepaid packages and letters. Out of stamps!”

A USPS spokesperson had no immediate comment but said this week he would look into the matter.

At the federal level, the Elon Musk-driven “Department of Government Efficiency” has made no secret of its efforts to cut 10,000 workers from the Postal Service, leading to some speculation on neighborhood social media sites that the Oxendale’s counter closure is related. It’s unclear if there’s any connection, but store workers have said issues tying up the contract renewal appear fairly mundane.

— Frederick Melo