Azerbaijani scientist Shovgi Huseynov, residing in the US and working at the University at Buffalo, was detained by immigration authorities due to a wrong turn and is currently held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Batavia.
Modern.az-ın məlumatına görə, On January 7, while driving, Sh. Huseynov mistakenly entered the Peace Bridge leading to Canada. Although he later returned to Buffalo, he was detained by US border agents. A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection stated that agents determined Huseynov could be deported from the US and transferred him to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The specific legal grounds for his detention have not been disclosed.
According to John Della Contrada, spokesperson for the University at Buffalo, Shovgi Huseynov has been working as a researcher at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences since 2022, based on a work permit approved by the US Department of Homeland Security.
An ICE spokesperson stated that Huseynov entered the country on a J-1 visa, intended for university students and researchers, and that his application for another visa or legal status is currently under review. However, ICE claimed that Huseynov “currently does not possess valid legal status” and announced that deportation proceedings have been initiated.
It should be noted that Sh. Huseynov has no criminal record and reportedly possesses a work permit allowing him to work in the US until 2029.
Shovgi Huseynov is not the only person to face this situation. Over the past year, at least five individuals who mistakenly entered bridges leading to Canada in the Buffalo area have been detained by immigration authorities. However, according to human rights advocates, this statistic only includes individuals who were previously deported. The number of individuals like Huseynov who were detained after making a wrong turn but were not charged with a crime is higher.
It should be recalled that Sh. Huseynov has been at the Jacobs School for 4 years conducting complex neurological research, focusing on various biological phenomena in the brains of mice with opioid addiction to understand how the brain and immune system work together. He, along with his colleagues, has published several research articles .
