20 hours ago
2
Tufts University
has called for the immediate release of
Rumeysa Ozturk
, an international graduate student who was taken into custody by the US department of homeland security (DHS) last week. Ozturk was apprehended by masked federal agents on 25 March outside her off-campus apartment in Somerville, Massachusetts, while on her way to a Ramadan iftar dinner.
In court documents, Tufts university president Sunil Kumar urged authorities to release the Turkish doctoral student without delay, emphasising that she should be allowed to return and complete her studies.
Visa revoked over alleged links to Hamas
According to court records, the US state department revoked Ozturk’s student visa on 21 March, citing alleged involvement in activities supporting Hamas. However, Tufts University maintained that at the time of her arrest, Ozturk was in "good immigration standing."
Kumar said that university police were informed by Somerville authorities on the evening of 25 March that a Tufts student had been detained by federal agents. It was later confirmed through records that the individual was Ozturk.
Roughly an hour after her arrest, Ozturk’s record in the student and exchange visitor information system (SEVIS) was updated to reflect that her visa had been terminated. Kumar noted that up until that moment, Ozturk’s immigration status had been compliant. The next morning, on 26 March, the university received an official notice via email declaring her a "non-immigrant status violator."
A DHS spokesperson later claimed that an investigation had found Ozturk had engaged in activities supporting Hamas, but no evidence was provided to substantiate the allegations.
Also read: Trump administration pulls plugs on federal grants for Princeton University
University challenges allegations
Ozturk, a third-year doctoral student, was among the authors of a March 2024 opinion piece that called on Tufts University to acknowledge what the authors described as the Palestinian genocide. Kumar stated that the publication did not violate any university policies and that no complaints had been filed against Ozturk regarding the article.
“The University has no information to support the allegations that she was engaged in activities at Tufts that warrant her arrest and detention,” CBS news quoted Kumar.
Court documents further revealed that after her arrest, Ozturk was transferred to an ICE detention centre in Central Louisiana due to a lack of space in Boston-area facilities.
Kumar also expressed concerns over the broader impact of Ozturk’s detention, saying the university had received reports from students, faculty, and staff who now feel unsafe leaving their homes to attend classes on campus.
English (US) · 