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On a Tuesday evening in Somerville, Massachusetts, as the sun set, Turkish citizen Rumeysa Ozturk was en route to join friends for an Iftar dinner, a communal meal to break the Ramadan fast. However, her plans were abruptly interrupted when immigration officers detained her near her residence close to Tufts University, where she was pursuing her PhD, according to her lawyer, Masha Khanbabai.
Recent surveillance footage appears to show Ozturk being surrounded by six plainclothes officers as she walked alone. The officers revealed their badges only after restraining her with her hands behind her back, as captured in the video.
Ozturk is among numerous international students affiliated with elite American universities who have faced similar arrests during the Trump administration due to alleged connections to terrorist organizations. Notable cases include the recent detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a notable Palestinian activist apprehended just days ago at his residence tied to Columbia University.
The Department of Homeland Security characterized Ozturk as someone who “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” although specifics regarding the accusations have yet to be disclosed.
As of now, no formal charges have been filed against Ozturk, her attorney communicated to CNN. The following outlines the key details surrounding her arrest:
Who is Rumeysa Ozturk?
Ozturk was pursuing her PhD at Tufts University under a valid F-1 visa, which permits international students to engage in full-time academic programs, as stated by Khanbabai.
In March 2024, she co-authored an opinion piece for her university’s publication, where she voiced her concerns regarding Tufts’ approach to the pro-Palestinian movement.
Tufts University officials have stated they were not informed in advance about Ozturk’s detention.
The university emphasized that they had not shared any information with federal authorities related to the incident and noted that the place of arrest was not affiliated with Tufts. President Sunil Kumar commented that Ozturk’s visa status appears to have been terminated and indicated a need to verify this information.
In a follow-up statement, Kumar addressed the community’s concerns and highlighted the unsettling nature of the event, particularly for international members of the Tufts community. He expressed hope that Ozturk would be afforded her rights to due process.
A spokesperson for the State Department has refrained from commenting on the particulars of the case, citing privacy and confidentiality issues inherent to visa matters.
Arrest captured on video
Footage released by a neighbor and shared by the advocacy group Muslim Justice League shows plainclothes officers casually approaching Ozturk on her own. At one point, an officer in a hat and sweatshirt seizes her arms, leading Ozturk to scream in alarm, while another displays a badge and confiscates her mobile device.
The situation escalated as the officers covered their faces, with one restraining Ozturk’s hands as the group announced, “We’re the police.” A voice off-camera questioned their authority, stating, “Yeah, you don’t look like it. Why are you hiding your faces?”
Within a minute, Ozturk was led to a waiting vehicle and taken away.
ICE has not yet replied to requests for comment regarding Ozturk’s case.
The tactic of using facial coverings aligns with prior accounts involving the arrest of other individuals, such as Georgetown University fellow Bada Khan Suri, whose attorney reported aggressive detainment tactics including weapon displays.
Transfer to Louisiana
Following her detention, Ozturk’s legal counsel filed a petition in federal court in Boston contesting the legality of her detention and requesting she not be moved outside the Massachusetts jurisdiction.
Judge Indira Talwani ordered that Ozturk must not be transferred outside of Massachusetts without notification to her attorneys. However, the next day, a Department of Homeland Security representative disclosed that Ozturk had already been moved to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile.
It remains ambiguous whether Ozturk was transferred before or after the judge’s ruling.
With Ozturk’s case, she becomes the third international student to be shifted to Louisiana after facing detention. Both Khalil and fellow detainee Badar Khan Suri were also sent to ICE facilities in that region.
Khanbabai criticized the government’s practice of making serious allegations without providing substantive evidence, expressing the hope that Ozturk would be released promptly.
This article includes contributions from other news sources.
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