Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained a University of Oklahoma professor en route to a conference, briefly detaining him before releasing him after three days — an incident that has provoked alarm across academic communities about travel safety and visa security. Colleagues and professional associations called the detention ‘deeply distressing’ and highlighted the chilling effect on conference travel, collaboration and the participation of scholars from certain countries. Universities with sizeable international faculty and graduate populations must review travel policies, legal supports, and crisis‑response protocols and consider intensified outreach to consular services and professional associations to protect scholarship and mobility.