Questions are growing surrounding the death of a Chinese researcher tied to the University of Michigan and whether enough is being done to protect international scholars.
CBS News Detroit confirmed the scientist, Danhao Wang, died shortly after speaking with federal investigators.
University police said they responded to a report of a person who had fallen inside a campus building on March 19. A spokesperson said Wang was found dead after falling from an upper level, and the case is being investigated as a “possible act of self-harm.”
Advocates claim this case is part of a broader pattern they have been tracking.
“This is not an isolated incident. This is a series of repeated targeting of Chinese scholars,” said Megan Russell, China campaign coordinator at CODEPINK.
University of Michigan 
The University of Michigan Postdoctoral Researchers’ Organization (UM-PRO), a group representing 1,5000 postdoctoral researchers at the university, said many international students feel increasingly targeted and emphasized the need for them to understand their rights.
In a statement to CBS News Detroit, Nick Geiser, an organizer with UM-PRO, said that Wang was an assistant research scientist in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department and was recently promoted to that role.
Geiser said about 60% of all postdoctoral researchers at the university are international workers. Geiser said the organization was made aware of reports that federal authorities interrogated Wang before his death.
Details surrounding the federal questioning are limited, and authorities have not said whether it is connected to any ongoing investigation.
“This incident is contextual to a larger climate of fear felt by immigrant workers from all industries, home countries, and walks of life under the current administration,” Geiser said in the statement.
“We find it important that the researchers in our unit understand their rights. As a union, UM-PRO is charged with protecting its membership. To that end, UM-PRO has advised its membership to not speak to law enforcement without an attorney present, per our constitutional rights (for both citizens and visa holders).”
“If this was an isolated incident of self-harm for reasons that were outside the responsibility of the University of Michigan, that is one thing. But this is not,” said Russell.
As questions remain, some in the university community are now focusing on how to respond, including organizing a vigil next week and signing a petition demanding answers.
“It’s really a big community effort. The student organizations at U-M are helping organize that and getting the message out to people to come,” said Russell.
University officials say support resources are available as the investigation continues.
