Topline
A federal judge on Friday ordered the immediate release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University who had spent six weeks in Louisiana detention after she was abruptly detained by ICE, which accused her of supporting Hamas, in an incident that was captured by surveillance footage and quickly went viral.
Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by federal agents earlier this week. (Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston … More
Key Facts
Vermont federal judge William K. Sessions III said Ozturk’s “continued detention cannot stand,” adding it “potentially chills the speech of the millions and millions of individuals in this country who are not citizens.”
Sessions said the government lacked evidence in its claim that Ozturk posed a national security threat, claiming the only evidence it had presented was an op-ed Ozturk co-wrote in the student-run Tufts Daily newspaper last year that urged the university to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and “divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.”
Ozturk was detained on March 25, which the Department of Homeland Security previously told Forbes was because she allegedly “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” without naming specific activities, though she was never charged with any crimes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a news conference in March Ozturk’s student visa was revoked, implying the revocation was because of her pro-Palestinian advocacy: “We gave you a visa to come study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses,” Rubio said, though he did not share evidence supporting the idea Ozturk was disruptive.
Surveillance footage that captured Ozturk’s arrest appears to show several plainclothes officers approaching her as she walked on a sidewalk to meet friends, in an area Tufts University said was not part of campus property, before being driven away.
What Happened After Ozturk’s Arrest?
Following her arrest, Ozturk was reportedly transferred to an ICE facility in Louisiana. Ozturk’s attorney had filed a petition in court urging her not to be moved out of Massachusetts and challenging the legality of her detention, CNN reported, though Ozturk had already been taken to Louisiana. Massachusetts District Judge Indira Talwani wrote in an order Tuesday that Ozturk “shall not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without first providing advance notice of the intended move.” Khanbabai compared Ozturk’s arrest to other recent detainments of college students, including Mahmoud Khalil, telling CNN: “Like all the other immigration cases related to international students and activists who have spoken up about the atrocities in Palestine, the government throws around wild accusations but provides no evidence,” adding she hopes Ozturk will be “released immediately.”
Who Is Rumeysa Ozturk?
Ozturk, 30, is a Ph.D. student at Tufts University in the school’s Child Study and Human Development program, according to the Boston Globe, citing her now-deleted LinkedIn profile. Ozturk previously received a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Ozturk was a Fulbright Scholar, the Boston Globe reported, and she previously worked as a research assistant at Boston University. Ozturk is from Turkey and has studied in the United States on an F-1 student visa. Ozturk’s lawyer told multiple media outlets she was arrested while walking to meet friends to break her Ramadan fast. Ozturk’s brother, Asim Ozturk, wrote in a post on X he believes she was targeted by the Trump administration as part of a “witch hunt” against “those who support Palestine,” according to a translation by CNN, adding she never took any “provocative or aggressive action” in support of her pro-Palestinian beliefs. Ozturk’s friends and colleagues told the Associated Press she was “not closely involved in pro-Palestinian protests” on campus and the op-ed she co-authored was her only known activism. “There’s a very important distinction between writing a letter supporting the student Senate and taking the kind of action they’re accusing her of, which I’ve seen no evidence of,” her friend and classmate Jennifer Hoyden told the AP.
What Has Tufts University Said About Ozturk’s Arrest?
The school told Forbes it was unaware of her arrest prior to her detainment, stating it “did not share any information with federal authorities prior to the event.” Kumar called the video of Ozturk’s arrest “disturbing” and said he hopes “Rumeysa is provided the opportunity to avail herself of her due process rights.” More than 2,000 people protested Ozturk’s detention near the Tufts University campus Wednesday night, holding signs that said: “Free Rumeysa Ozturk” and “Hands off my neighbors.”
How Have Government Officials Responded To Ozturk’s Arrest?
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said it is “alarming that the federal government chose to ambush and detain” Ozturk, accusing it of “targeting a law-abiding individual because of her political views.” The Turkish embassy said in a post on X it has contacted the State Department and ICE, adding “every effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal support to protect the rights of our citizens,” according to a translation by CNN. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Ozturk’s detainment is the “latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties,” accusing the Trump administration of targeting students without due process.
How Has The Trump Administration Targeted Student Protesters?
Rubio said on Thursday the State Department has likely revoked more than 300 student visas. “We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” Rubio said. “If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you’re coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus, we’re not going to give you a visa,” Rubio said. Rubio’s comments appear to refer to pro-Palestinian protests, which swept university campuses in 2024, though he did not name any particular protests or alleged instances of “harassment.” Forbes has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Tangent
Ozturk’s arrest comes weeks after Khalil, a Columbia University student who was born in Syria to Palestinian parents and is a permanent U.S. citizen, was arrested by federal agents at his university residence. Khalil was a prominent pro-Palestinian protester at Columbia, and following his arrest, multiple elected officials—including President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—accused Khalil of being a Hamas supporter. “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Rubio said in a post on X following Khalil’s arrest. Khalil’s lawyers slammed his arrest as a “blatant effort to target and chill [free]
speech” and accused the government of violating the First Amendment. Khalil was also moved to a detention center in Louisiana, and his case will proceed in federal court in New Jersey.
Further Reading
Mahmoud Khalil Still Detained In Louisiana—At Least For Now—Following Court Hearing: What We Know (Forbes)
