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The family of a detained Turkish physicist is calling for his immediate release from U.S. immigration custody, describing deteriorating conditions at a Texas detention facility where he has been held since late August.
Furkan Dolek, a researcher who previously worked at Fermilab, the Department of Energy's particle physics laboratory in Illinois, has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention since Aug. 27. He was apprehended at the Mohawk reservation on the New York-Canada border after attempting to walk to Canada.
In a press release Saturday, Dolek's family described his case as having evolved beyond an individual matter into "a global matter of science and human rights." They are demanding a scheduled court hearing and his transfer to better conditions.
Dolek is currently held at the El Paso East Montana facility in Texas, which his family describes as a "plastic greenhouse-shaped structure" housing 80 people in open bunk beds with poor sanitary conditions. Detainees have reportedly been denied outdoor access for more than 10 days.
According to his family's statement, Dolek faces "constant threats, harassment, and theft from detainees with gang or cartel ties." The conditions include lack of hygiene supplies, no library access, food theft, and violent incidents among detainees.
The physicist contracted COVID-19 without receiving medical care and was forced to repair broken eyeglasses with wire, his family said. They claim ICE officers destroyed his applications for transfer to a safer facility.
Dolek's detention stems from events that began during his research work at Fermilab in 2023. He had been invited by Virginia Tech to continue research following his doctorate studies in Switzerland.
While working at the facility, which operates the world's second-largest particle collider after CERN, Dolek reported what he identified as safety violations, including radioactivity exposure to employees. His family says he followed proper whistleblower channels to report irregularities and hazardous conditions.
Following his reports, Dolek faced harassment and dismissal from his position, according to his family. He later took to LinkedIn to detail his experience.
"I reported it through every official whistleblower channel. Instead of protection, I was punished: false charges, dismissal, and total institutional silence," Dolek wrote on the platform. "If a CERN scientist with diplomatic credentials and documented protections can be silenced, then any researcher, anywhere, can be."
Dolek's J-1 research visa was revoked in March after Virginia Tech suspended his employment in April 2024. Unable to obtain official exit documentation from the university, he found himself in illegal immigration status with his belongings, including his French residence permit, confiscated.
In protest of his situation, Dolek began walking toward Canada while documenting his journey on social media. He was detained by police and ICE at the border crossing.
The family has contacted U.S. authorities and the ICE Ombudsman requesting Dolek's transfer to a northern facility with better conditions, but report receiving no response.
"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," his family stated.
They are now appealing to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara to intervene and are requesting Dolek's release through an O1 visa under the National Interest Waiver program.
Under U.S. immigration law, detained foreign nationals must be brought before an immigration judge within a reasonable timeframe, and detainees have the right to challenge detention conditions and request bond hearings.
The family argues that failure to address their requests would constitute "not only a violation of the right to a fair trial but also a severe breach of fundamental human rights."
Turkish diplomatic officials helped locate Dolek after he went missing for over a week in late August, initially finding him at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in New York before his transfer to Texas.
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