United States immigration authorities have arrested and revoked the visa of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University near Boston who had expressed support for Palestinians during Israel’s war in Gaza.
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was arrested by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents on Tuesday night as she left her home in Somerville to meet friends and break her Ramadan fast, according to her lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, who filed a petition in Boston federal court. Ozturk’s supporters claim her detention is the first known immigration arrest of a Boston-area student engaged in such activism under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The Trump administration has detained or attempted to detain several foreign-born students legally residing in the U.S. who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests. These actions have been criticized as an attack on free speech, though the administration argues that certain protests are anti-Semitic and could undermine U.S. foreign policy.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated on X (formerly Twitter) that Ozturk "engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans." She added, "A visa is a privilege, not a right." However, McLaughlin did not specify what activities Ozturk allegedly participated in.
Ozturk’s arrest came a year after she co-authored an opinion piece in Tufts’ student newspaper, The Tufts Daily, criticizing the university’s response to student calls to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to "acknowledge the Palestinian genocide." Khanbabai suggested that Ozturk’s exercise of free speech likely played a role in her detention.
‘Looked like a kidnapping’
Following her arrest, Khanbabai filed a lawsuit arguing Ozturk was unlawfully detained. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) not to move Ozturk out of Massachusetts without at least 48 hours’ notice. However, by Wednesday afternoon, Khanbabai reported she could not locate her client and was informed Ozturk had been transferred to Louisiana. Khanbabai sought a court order requiring ICE to grant access to Ozturk.
Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, condemned the arrest, calling it part of an "alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties." A rally in support of Ozturk was planned for Wednesday evening in Somerville.
Neighbors expressed shock at the arrest, which occurred at 5:30 p.m. on a residential street. Michael Mathis, a 32-year-old software engineer whose surveillance camera captured the incident, described the scene: "It looked like a kidnapping. They approached her and started grabbing her with their faces covered. They were in unmarked vehicles."
Targeting university students
Ozturk is a Fulbright Scholar and doctoral student in Tufts’ child study and human development program, according to her LinkedIn profile. She previously studied at Columbia University in New York and was in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa, as stated in the lawsuit.
Tufts University President Sunil Kumar said the school had no prior knowledge of the arrest, acknowledging it would be "distressing to some members of our community, particularly the members of our international community."
Ozturk’s arrest occurred less than three weeks after Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and lawful permanent resident, was similarly detained. Khalil is challenging his detention after Trump accused him of supporting Hamas, which Khalil denies. Federal immigration officials are also seeking to detain a South Korean-born Columbia University student involved in pro-Palestinian protests, though courts have blocked this move for now.
Earlier this month, a Lebanese doctor and Brown University assistant professor, Rasha Alawieh, was denied re-entry to the U.S. and deported to Lebanon after the Trump administration alleged her phone contained photos "sympathetic" to Hezbollah. Alawieh denies supporting the group but respects its slain leader due to her religion.
The Trump administration has also targeted students at Cornell University in New York and Georgetown University in Washington.
For the latest updates and more news, visit ZTC News and Z News Today. Stay informed and explore the trending stories now!