Rumeysa Ozturk’s Arrest Sparks Legal, Campus Outrage/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national on a student visa, was detained in Massachusetts by masked ICE agents and transferred to a Louisiana detention center. The arrest, linked to her pro-Palestinian activism, sparked legal action and widespread condemnation, with critics calling it a violation of rights and academic freedom. The lawyer for Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, has filed an emergency court motion demanding the federal government produce her after she was detained by masked DHS agents. Held in a Louisiana ICE facility, Ozturk is accused—without evidence—of supporting Hamas. Her detention has ignited legal and campus backlash.
ICE Detention of Tufts Student: Quick Look
- Dramatic Arrest: Ozturk detained by masked ICE agents in Somerville, MA
- Captured on Video: Agents in hoodies shove her into unmarked car
- Legal Challenge: Arrest may violate a federal court order
- Accusation: DHS alleges links to Hamas, but offers no evidence
- Visa Status: Believed to be revoked, per Tufts’ president
- Legal Defense: Attorney filed emergency motion to locate Ozturk
- University Statement: Tufts denies sharing info with federal agents
- Civil Rights Outcry: CAIR calls it “abduction,” slams ICE tactics
- Activism Targeted: Ozturk wrote pro-Palestinian op-ed at Tufts
- Broader Pattern: DHS also detained other student activists recently
Detained Tufts Student: Quick Look
- Who: Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, Turkish doctoral student at Tufts
- What: Detained by masked ICE agents in Somerville, MA
- When: Taken into custody on Tuesday, March 26
- Where: Currently held at ICE facility in Basile, Louisiana
- Why: DHS claims support for Hamas, without providing proof
- Legal Status: No charges filed; emergency court motion filed
- University Reaction: Tufts president calls for due process
- Surveillance Video: Shows agents in hoodies, faces covered
- Background: Ozturk co-authored op-ed supporting Palestinian rights
- Activism Targeted: Her info appeared on Canary Mission website
Rumeysa Ozturk’s Arrest Sparks Legal, Campus Outrage
Tufts PhD Student Detained Over Pro-Palestinian Views
Deep Look
Arrest of Fulbright Scholar Sparks Legal and Civil Liberties Alarm
A wave of outrage has followed the release of surveillance footage showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in masks and hooded sweatshirts forcibly detaining Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Tufts University doctoral candidate and Fulbright scholar. The masked agents wrestled Ozturk into an unmarked car in broad daylight as she walked to break her Ramadan fast in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Ozturk was reportedly moved to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center by Wednesday, according to the ICE detainee locator. Her arrest appeared to defy a federal court order requiring 48-hour notice before any transfer outside Massachusetts.
The Department of Homeland Security alleges, without offering proof, that Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” which the U.S. designates as a foreign terrorist organization. DHS stated, “A visa is a privilege, not a right,” asserting her student visa was revoked. ICE has not provided documentation to support the claims, and civil rights advocates warn the move appears politically motivated.
A federal judge has since demanded that DHS produce Ozturk in court by 9 a.m. ET Thursday. Her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, filed an emergency motion, saying she had lost contact with her client. Reports also indicate Ozturk was recently added to Canary Mission, a controversial website that publicly lists individuals critical of Israeli policy.
Tufts President Sunil Kumar issued a statement clarifying that the university was not informed of or involved in the arrest and is seeking verification of the visa termination. Ozturk, pursuing a PhD in philosophy, has been active in campus discourse, co-authoring a pro-Palestinian op-ed in Tufts’ student newspaper.
The arrest and detention of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national and Fulbright scholar pursuing her PhD at Tufts University, has escalated into a major legal and civil rights controversy after masked federal agents apprehended her on the street in Massachusetts.
Video footage shows agents wearing hoodies and face coverings seizing Ozturk, taking her phone, and placing her in handcuffs as she shouted. A bystander, confused by the scene, asked whether it was a kidnapping—prompting one agent to reply, “We’re the police.”
On Thursday, her attorney Mahsa Khanbabai filed an emergency motion demanding the government explain the detention and produce Ozturk in court. A federal judge had already ordered that she not be moved out of Massachusetts without 48-hour notice—a directive that was apparently ignored when Ozturk was flown to a detention center in Louisiana.
The Department of Homeland Security claims that Ozturk engaged in activity supporting Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. However, the agency has not supplied any evidence to support this claim, and no charges have been filed. In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said visa holders who glorify or support terrorists “have no right to remain in the U.S.”
Ozturk’s visa now appears to be terminated. Tufts University President Sunil Kumar said the school had no prior knowledge of the arrest and did not provide information to federal agents. He called on authorities to ensure Ozturk’s due process rights and said the university is mobilizing support.
Friends and civil liberties groups have described Ozturk as peaceful, kind, and deeply engaged in scholarly pursuits—not extremism. Her name recently appeared on Canary Mission, a website known for publicly listing and attempting to discredit pro-Palestinian activists in academia.
Ozturk co-authored a March 2024 op-ed in The Tufts Daily that criticized the university’s response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The editorial called on Tufts to recognize what students termed a “Palestinian genocide” and divest from companies linked to Israel.
Jennifer Hoyden, a friend and fellow academic, called the arrest an egregious overreach. “She came here to contribute to a peaceful society,” she said. “This isn’t justice.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the arrest as a “broad-daylight abduction” and an attack on academic freedom. “This alarming act of repression is a direct assault on free speech,” CAIR said in a statement.
The arrest follows the recent detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student and Palestinian activist, under a rare statute allowing the government to deport individuals it deems threats to U.S. foreign policy. Both arrests suggest an escalation in targeting international students linked to pro-Palestinian activism under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
With mounting legal challenges and public criticism, the Ozturk case is fast becoming a national flashpoint on immigration rights, freedom of speech, and the politicization of federal enforcement.
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