US Immigration Enforcement detains Tuft University student – JURIST
Federal authorities arrested and detained Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk on Tuesday in Somerville, Massachusetts. Ozturk is a Turkish national on an F-1 visa, which allows her to study in the US.
Footage of the arrest shows unidentified officers with their faces covered apprehending Ozturk as she walks down the street. They identified themselves as the police but provided no explanation for the arrest. Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai said that Ozturk was about to break her Ramadan fast before being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to a Tufts University email from the president, Sunil Kumar, the university claims to have had no prior knowledge of the incident and denied sharing any information with federal authorities. They did not identify the student specifically in their email sent out on Tuesday. However, Kumar disclosed that:
From what we have been told subsequently, the student’s visa has been terminated, and we seek to confirm whether that information is true. The university has no additional information at this time about the cause or circumstances of the student’s apprehension and is attempting to learn more about the incident.
Attorney Khanbabai later filed a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of Ozturk in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Khanbabai hopes to have Ozturk released immediately but has not been able to reach her and does not know where she is currently being held. In response, District Judge Indira Talwani ordered that Ozturk may not be moved outside of the District of Massachusetts without providing prior notice to the court.
Ozturk co-authored an op-ed article in 2024 calling for Tufts University to disclose and divest from Israeli ties. She can also be found on Canary Mission, a doxxing website that publishes the personal information of individuals considered to be anti-Israel.
This incident is one of the various deportation efforts by ICE following the Trump administration’s executive orders. The orders call for the deportation of all non-citizens who participate in pro-Palestine protests. Academic groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, alleging that this deportation policy violates First and Fifth Amendment rights. The suit came after the arrest of Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil and various other instances.
Federal agents have yet to comment on the reason for Ozturk’s detention.
