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Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old graduate student from Tufts University and a Turkish national, currently finds herself in detention in Louisiana, nearly two days following her arrest by federal immigration authorities in Massachusetts.
Surveillance footage captured the moment when Department of Homeland Security officers arrested Ozturk outside her off-campus residence in Somerville on a Tuesday evening. The footage reveals her being approached by six agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as she was on her way to attend an iftar dinner to break the Ramadan fast with friends at the university’s interfaith center.
The video also depicts an agent seizing Ozturk’s phone before she was handcuffed. The officers conducting the arrest were in plain clothes, wearing masks, and operating unmarked vehicles. In the background, a neighbor can be heard questioning whether the scene resembled a kidnapping.
Tufts Student Detained by ICE
The allegations against Ozturk, according to Homeland Security, paint her as pro-Hamas, with claims that her visa status has been revoked. Friends and supporters contend that her detention stems from her involvement in an op-ed published in the Tufts Daily last year, which urged the university to recognize what she termed the “Palestinian genocide” and called for divestment from Israel, without any references to Hamas.
In response to the arrest, Tufts University President Sunil Kumar expressed his concerns in an email to the campus community, describing the footage of Ozturk’s detention as “disturbing.” He reassured students that the university is in contact with local, state, and federal officials to ensure that Ozturk can exercise her legal rights. Kumar also noted that the university is mobilizing efforts to support the student community during this challenging time.
Mahsa Khanbabai, Ozturk’s attorney, stated that as of now, there have been no formal charges filed against her client. Notably, on the night of her arrest, a federal judge had instructed law enforcement not to transfer Ozturk out of Massachusetts without providing a 48-hour notice. Contrary to this order, she was relocated to an ICE processing center in Louisiana, over a thousand miles away, as confirmed by Homeland Security.
In solidarity with Ozturk, hundreds gathered for a protest rally near the Tufts campus in Somerville on Wednesday evening, voicing their concerns over her arrest.
Rumeysa Ozturk
Reyyan Bilge, a psychology professor at Northeastern University and a friend of Ozturk, described the accusations against her as “baseless” and “libelous.” Having known Ozturk for several years, Bilge expressed her disbelief, stating, “It’s so surreal and heartbreaking. She has never mentioned Hamas, let alone being either anti-Semitic or anti anything.”
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