Turkish Doctoral Student Arrested, Visa Revoked Over Pro-Palestinian Activism
A Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University in Somerville, Massachusetts, has been arrested by United States immigration authorities and had her visa revoked, allegedly due to her support for Palestinians during the recent conflict in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was apprehended on Tuesday night by agents from the Department of Homeland Security as she left her home to meet friends for a Ramadan meal, according to her lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai. Khanbabai has filed a petition in Boston federal court challenging the legality of Ozturk’s detention.
Supporters are calling this the first known immigration arrest of a Boston-area student engaged in pro-Palestinian activism under the Trump administration. The administration has faced criticism for previously detaining or attempting to detain other foreign-born students legally residing in the US who have participated in similar protests. Critics argue these actions are an assault on free speech, while the Trump administration contends that certain protests are anti-Semitic and undermine US foreign policy.
In a post on X, US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that authorities determined Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organisation that relishes the killing of Americans.” No specific activities were detailed. However, the arrest follows an opinion piece Ozturk co-authored in the Tufts Daily student newspaper last year, which criticized the university’s response to student calls to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.”
Khanbabai filed a lawsuit late Tuesday, arguing that Ozturk’s detention was unlawful. US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston subsequently ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) not to move Ozturk out of Massachusetts without at least 48 hours’ notice.
However, by Wednesday afternoon, Khanbabai reported being unable to locate her client within New England, and a US senator’s office informed her that Ozturk had been transferred to Louisiana, prompting her to seek a court order requiring ICE to grant her access to her client.
The student’s detention has drawn condemnation from Democratic lawmakers, including US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who called the “arrest is the latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties.” A rally in support of Ozturk was scheduled for Wednesday evening in Somerville.
The Trump administration has been increasingly targeting international students as part of its broader crackdown on immigration, ramping up immigration arrests and restricting border crossings. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have specifically pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters, accusing them of supporting Hamas, posing hurdles for US foreign policy, and exhibiting anti-Semitism.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, argue that the administration is wrongly conflating their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism and support for Hamas.
