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A Turkish physicist who disappeared near the Canadian border while on a protest march has been confirmed detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a New York facility, according to reports that emerged Wednesday, ending a week-long search by his family.
Dr. Furkan Dolek, 37, who worked at the Department of Energy's Fermilab through Virginia Tech University, is being held at the CBP Messana Border Patrol Station in New York, ICE confirmed following inquiries made using his case file number. The confirmation comes after Türkiye Today exclusively reported his disappearance following alleged detention near the Canadian border.
Dr. Dolek allegedly reported workplace safety violations at Fermilab, including radioactive exposure of workers, through official channels before facing what his family describes as retaliation. Despite federal whistleblower protection laws, Dolek was reportedly removed from his position and had his J-1 research visa revoked after making the safety reports.
Virginia Tech University confirmed to Türkiye Today that Dolek was employed as a postdoctoral associate in the Physics Department from March 2023 to April 2024, with his work location at the federal laboratory in Illinois.
Dolek's family had been searching for him since his disappearance following what they believed was his detention in the Mohawk region near the Canadian border. His sister, Esra Dolek Coskun, previously told Türkiye Today that Turkish consular officials confirmed he was alive but could not establish contact.
The physicist has not been granted phone privileges while in detention, and multiple Turkish attorneys have attempted to establish communication with him, according to the reports.
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Unable to obtain proper exit documentation from Virginia Tech after his personal belongings, including his French residence permit, were reportedly confiscated at Fermilab, Dolek began a protest march toward Canada. His last public communication came from Akwesasne on the St. Lawrence River, where he wrote on LinkedIn about being "exhausted" with "burning legs" and "blistered feet."
The distinguished researcher, who has 664 publications with over 19,000 citations and ranks in the top 1% globally in his field, completed his doctorate in Switzerland before working at CERN and Fermilab, two of the world's premier particle physics laboratories.
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