DALLAS — Federal immigration officers detained a University of Maryland pharmacy instructor at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as he returned from a professional conference where he received a teaching award, according to the university and the Department of Homeland Security.
Berhanu Kibret, an instructor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The university said he has valid work authorization and called him a valued teacher and colleague.
DHS said Kibret entered the United States on June 21, 2021, with a visa that expired May 31, 2024, and remained after the visa expired. The agency said he would stay in ICE custody while immigration proceedings continue. The university expressed hope that questions about his status would be resolved quickly so he could return to his work.
Kibret had been attending a meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. His university research focuses on how the brain’s cannabinoid system affects mental health, neurological disease and the effects of addictive drugs. He earned graduate degrees in Ethiopia and completed postdoctoral work in New Jersey.
A valid employment authorization document and a valid immigration status are related but legally distinct, and the available statements do not resolve that dispute. No criminal allegation was reported in connection with the detention. The case remains pending in the immigration system.
Sources: The Guardian, CBS News, the University of Maryland and the Department of Homeland Security. Published Aug. 4, 2026.
