Two Iranian students attending Boston-area universities have filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, saying federal officials at Boston’s Logan International Airport acted illegally in denying them entry to the U.S. to start classes.

Shahab Dehghani, who attends Northeastern University, and Reihana Emami Arandi, who had been set to start classes at Harvard University, filed separate complaints with the agency’s civil rights office in recent days, requesting the agency investigate the conduct of Customs and Border Protection officials, according to their lawyers.

The students say federal officials detained and interrogated them for hours at the airport before concluding they planned on staying in the country longer than their temporary visas allowed.

The students maintain they had no intention of overstaying their visas and that federal officials provided no proof supporting their conclusion.

Arandi and Dehghani are among at least ten Iranians denied entry into the U.S. since August. Seven of those had flown into Boston’s airport.

Spokespeople for Homeland Security didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment.

In a complaint filed Monday, Dehghani’s lawyers argue he was admitted to the U.S. three times in recent years to study in Boston and that his most recent student visa was issued after nearly a year of vetting by the State Department.

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