The arrest of a Tufts University graduate student by federal agents has sparked widespread controversy, protests, and legal challenges. Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national pursuing a doctorate in child study and human development, was detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday (25) while on her way to break her Ramadan fast with friends. The arrest was captured on video and has raised concerns about civil liberties, free speech, and immigration policies under the Trump administration.
According to her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, Ozturk was maintaining a valid F-1 student visa when she was taken into custody near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts. “It was only late Wednesday evening that I learned that she was sent to Louisiana, despite a federal court order that she not be removed from the state,” Khanbabai said in an email early Thursday (27).
Protesters gathered in Somerville on Wednesday to demand her release, expressing outrage over what they viewed as a politically motivated arrest. NBC Boston reported that demonstrators carried signs calling for justice and fair treatment for Ozturk.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) online detainee locator system showed Ozturk being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile. A senior DHS spokesperson justified the arrest by stating, “DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans. A visa is a privilege, not a right.”
The spokesperson further added, “Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security.”
However, Ozturk’s lawyer denied any criminal charges had been filed against Read More….
