Biography
Mohammed Hoque was a 20-year-old Bangladeshi international student at Minnesota State University, Mankato when he was first detained. In late March 2025, plainclothes ICE officers followed his car as he returned home from a coding class and surrounded him at his home, telling him his student visa had been revoked. He was held in ICE custody for over a month. He had no criminal record; the only basis the government cited was social-media activity, including Instagram posts about violence against Palestinians in Gaza and a #FreePalestine hashtag in his Instagram bio.
His attorneys filed a habeas petition arguing his detention was First Amendment retaliation for his support of Palestinian human rights. On May 7, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jerry Blackwell of the District of Minnesota ordered his immediate release, finding that Hoque's arrest aligned with the publicly stated executive policy of targeting social media users who express support for Palestinian human rights and criticise violence in Gaza. He was released on a 7,500-dollar bond.
