A Turkish doctoral student was detained on Tuesday by the federal immigration agents over her pro-Palestinian activism.
In a surveillance video, six immigration agents could be seen in plain clothes and had covered their faces with masks when they came to detain student Rumeysa Ozturk. The officers could be seen taking away Ozturk’s phone as she yelled and was handcuffed.
Rumeysa Ozturk’s lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai on Wednesday said that Ozturk was meeting friends for iftar, a meal that breaks a fast at sunset during Ramadan.
In the video, the agents could be heard saying, “We’re the police,” A man is heard on camera saying, “Why are you hiding your faces?”
“We are unaware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her. No charges have been filed against Rumeysa to date that we are aware of, Khanbabai said in a statement.
Ozturk has a visa allowing her to study in the United States, Khanbabai said.
The transfer of Ozturk, a PhD student at Tufts University, appeared to violate a federal court order from Tuesday, which directed the department of homeland security (DHS) and Ice to give the court 48 hours’ notice before attempting to take her out of Massachusetts.
Following the discovery of Ozturk’s Louisiana transfer via the online locator, the federal judge mandated DHS and Ice to address an emergency request by 9am ET on Thursday to produce Ozturk in court.
A DHS representative stated to the Guardian on Wednesday that Ozturk had received “the privilege to be in this country on a visa” and alleged, without evidence, her support for Hamas, which governs Gaza and initiated the attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023, triggering Israel’s military response.
“DHS and Ice investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans,” the DHS spokesperson told the Guardian. “A visa is a privilege not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security.”
Reuters reports suggest officials may have already cancelled Ozturk’s student visa. Tufts University President Sunil Kumar confirmed the institution’s non-involvement, stating they “had no pre-knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities prior to the event”. Ozturk, from Turkey, studies philosophy and holds a Fulbright scholarship.
Earlier this month, DHS agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, who helped organise the pro-Palestinian movement at the school and than a South Korean American student Yunseo Chung.
Who is Rumeysa Ozturk?
At age 30, Ozturk holds a Fulbright Scholarship and is pursuing her doctorate in Child Study and Human Development at Tufts, with previous academic experience at Columbia University in New York, as indicated on her LinkedIn profile.
In the previous year, she jointly wrote an opinion piece for the Tufts Daily, the university’s student publication, expressing criticism of the institution’s handling of student demands regarding divestment from Israel-linked companies and their request to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.”
Currently residing in the United States on an F-1 student visa, as confirmed by her legal representative Khanbabai, Ozturk was apprehended while proceeding to join companions for breaking her Ramadan fast.
“Based on patterns we are seeing across the country, her exercising her free speech rights appear to have played a role in her detention,” Khanbabai says.
