Ethiopia: U.S. Judge Denies Bond for Ethiopian-Born University Instructor Held in Ice Detention

What the report says

An immigration judge has denied bond for Dr. Berhanu Kibret, an Ethiopian-born instructor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, meaning he will remain in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention while his immigration case continues. According to Addis Standard, which was carried by AllAfrica, the ruling followed a virtual hearing before the Aurora Immigration Court in Colorado on August 14. Berhanu has been held at an immigration detention center in Oklahoma since his arrest on July 21, 2026, at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.

The article says U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials allege that Berhanu overstayed a visa that expired in May 2024. His attorney and the University of Maryland dispute that account, saying he has work authorization and separate permission to stay in the country through a pending immigration application. The judge’s written reasoning was not immediately available, and Berhanu’s lawyer said the decision did not reflect the evidence as she understood it.

The case has drawn attention in Maryland’s academic community, where colleagues and university leaders have described Berhanu as a respected teacher and researcher. The school said it was disappointed by the decision and was monitoring the impact on the coming semester. Addis Standard noted that Berhanu had recently been named Teacher of the Year by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and was expected to return to teaching in the fall.