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The family of Turkish physicist Furkan Dölek has called on U.S. authorities for the immediate scheduling of a hearing and his release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, following nearly a week of his disappearance in late August.
Dölek, who went missing after raising concerns over labor abuses at a major U.S. Department of Energy research facility, was located at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in New York through the intervention of Turkish diplomatic officials.
In a press statement, his family said: “Dr. Furkan Dölek, a world-renowned physicist, today stands at the intersection of academic freedom, scientific ethics and immigrant rights in the U.S. What has happened is no longer merely an individual tragedy, but has turned into a global matter of science and human rights.”
After his discovery, Dölek was transferred to the El Paso East Montana facility in Texas, a plastic greenhouse-shaped detention center housing 80 people in open bunk beds. According to his family, the facility lacks basic sanitary conditions, and detainees have not been allowed outside for more than 10 days.
Within the facility, Dölek reportedly faces constant threats, harassment and theft from detainees connected to gangs or cartels. He has described dire living conditions, including lack of hygiene supplies, no access to a library, stolen food and belongings, and violent outbreaks among detainees.
Having contracted COVID-19 without receiving medical attention and forced to repair broken eyeglasses with wire, he repeatedly petitioned for transfer to a safer facility. According to his family, ICE officers destroyed his applications.
Appeal for intervention
Dölek’s family has appealed not only to ICE but also to the ICE Ombudsman and the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, urging immediate action.
“We have repeatedly written to ICE and even the ICE Ombudsman, requesting his transfer to Buffalo or another northern facility with better conditions, but we have received no response,” the family said. “Because of the criminal types in the same environment, my brother’s life is in danger. If harm comes to him, ICE will be responsible.”
The family requests a clear court date, Dölek’s transfer to a better facility, and an end to “the unlawful treatment of Dr. Furkan Dölek, a scientific asset in physics and data science, by securing his release through an O1 visa (NIW National Interest Waiver) and restoring his honor.”
Under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act Section 240, removal proceedings require that detained foreign nationals be brought before an immigration judge within a reasonable period. Section 236 also grants the right to challenge detention conditions and request a bond hearing, prohibiting prolonged arbitrary detention.
Dölek’s family believes that ignoring these requests constitutes “not only a violation of the right to a fair trial but also a severe breach of fundamental human rights.”
Dölek’s detention follows a troubling series of events that began after he exposed labor abuses and hazardous conditions at Fermilab, the U.S. Department of Energy facility in Chicago, which hosts the world’s second-largest particle collider after CERN.
The Turkish physicist had been invited in 2023 by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) to continue his postdoctoral research, which he had conducted in Switzerland, and later carried out scientific work at Fermilab. During his research, he reported irregularities, hazardous conditions and security vulnerabilities, including potential radioactive exposure affecting employees.
As a result of raising these concerns, Dölek experienced harassment at Fermilab and was ultimately dismissed. He later documented his experiences on LinkedIn, revealing that he had witnessed “exploited researchers forced to work under unsafe conditions,” “the most vulnerable left unprotected while misconduct was covered up,” and “fraud and retaliation against anyone who dared to speak.”
“I reported it through every official whistleblower channel. Instead of protection, I was punished: false charges, dismissal and total institutional silence,” Dölek wrote. “If a CERN scientist with diplomatic credentials and documented protections can be silenced, then any researcher, anywhere, can be.”
Although U.S. federal law requires whistleblowers to remain anonymous and protected, Dölek’s rights were reportedly ignored. His J-1 research visa was revoked in March, following Virginia Tech’s suspension of his employment on April 12, 2024. Unable to obtain an official exit document, Dölek was left in illegal status. All of his belongings, including his French residence permit at Fermilab, were confiscated.
In protest, Dölek attempted to walk to Canada, documenting his journey on social media. On Aug. 27, he was detained by local police and subsequently by ICE at the Mohawk reservation along the New York-Canada border.
