Berhanu Kibret, an instructor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore who recently received a “teacher of the year” award, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials at Dallas-Fort Worth airport in Texas on August 4, 2026.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, confirmed Kibret’s arrest, citing an expired visa as the reason. DHS stated that Kibret entered the United States on June 21, 2021, on a visa set to expire on May 31, 2024. The department did not disclose the location of his detention.

The University of Maryland said Kibret was arrested while returning from a meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, where he had received the award. The university described Kibret as a “highly valued member of the University of Maryland, Baltimore community” and expressed that it was “greatly troubled” by his arrest. The institution also noted that Kibret has valid work authorization and hopes the issues surrounding his status will be quickly resolved so he can continue his work.

Kibret’s arrest follows a July incident in which ICE detained and later released a Johns Hopkins researcher at Baltimore/Washington International Airport. A Guardian analysis published earlier in 2026 found that 77% of people placed into deportation proceedings for the first time after Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025 had no criminal convictions.

Sources