A Tufts College doctoral scholar has been detained by federal authorities, in keeping with an e mail despatched Tuesday by the college’s president. An legal professional for the coed recognized her as Rumeysa Ozturk.
Tufts leaders mentioned they acquired studies that a global graduate scholar was taken into custody from an off-campus house Tuesday night time, President Sunil Kumar wrote in a letter to the college group. Kumar mentioned the college was later instructed the “scholar’s visa standing has been terminated” and was working to substantiate that data.
An ICE on-line database exhibits Ozturk has been transferred to a processing facility in Louisiana.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers haven’t responded to WBUR’s request for remark. A senior Division of Homeland spokesperson mentioned a federal investigations discovered Ozturk “engaged in actions in help of Hamas, a overseas terrorist group,” however didn’t present any proof to help that declare.
“A visa is a privilege not a proper,” they mentioned.
Lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai mentioned her consumer is a Turkish nationwide who had a sound F-1 scholar visa. Tufts didn’t determine the coed, however confirmed to WBUR that Ozturk is a PhD scholar within the Graduate Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Khanbabai filed a habeas corpus petition on behalf of Ozturk in Boston federal courtroom Tuesday night time, asking a choose to order her launch. In response, federal Decide Indira Talwani ordered Ozturk should not be moved out of Massachusetts with out notifying the courtroom first.
It isn’t clear whether or not Ozturk was moved to Louisiana earlier than or after the choose’s order.
“We hope Rumeysa might be launched instantly,” Khanbabai mentioned in an announcement, including that she didn’t know the place Ozturk was taken after federal immigration brokers stopped her and has not been in a position to contact her.
Khanbabai mentioned Ozturk was on her technique to break her Ramadan quick with pals when she was apprehended.
Video obtained by WBUR from a neighbor’s residence safety digital camera in Somerville seems to point out federal immigration authorities putting Ozturk in custody. The footage, timestamped to Tuesday, contains audio of a bystander calling out inquiries to regulation enforcement.
Michael Matthis lives within the neighborhood and known as the incident devastating. He instructed WBUR he didn’t witness the detention firsthand, however watched it unfold on his safety digital camera footage.
“I dwell in Somerville, , we’re presupposed to be a sanctuary metropolis. We’re presupposed to be a spot of security,” Matthis mentioned. “She’s a scholar right here on a visa. Like, why goal her?”
Whereas he mentioned he doesn’t know the coed, it feels private.
“I imply my spouse was a global scholar,” mentioned Matthis, who added she grew to become a U.S. citizen final 12 months.
“And she or he’s like thanking god, like ‘I used to be a citizen a 12 months in the past. If I wasn’t a citizen proper now, I’d be terrified.’ ”
On Wednesday, neighbors described feeling scared — for themselves and their neighbors. Some mentioned they’d seen autos stationed on that road all through the day on Tuesday, previous to Ozturk’s arrest.
Joe Ferraro, 48, mentioned he heard concerning the arrest from his mother and father, who dwell in the identical home as him.
“Appeared like they had been describing a kidnapping on the road,” he mentioned.
He did not personally witness it, he mentioned. A TV reporter provided to point out him the footage on her telephone. He watched for just a few seconds, then stopped.
“Yeah, it is an excessive amount of. I needn’t dwell in a spot the place folks get plucked off the road like that, simply strolling round,” he mentioned. “That is bananas. That is simply insane.”
Tufts President Kumar mentioned the college was not instructed upfront concerning the detainment and didn’t share data with authorities earlier than the coed was positioned in custody. College officers are working to be taught extra concerning the incident and haven’t any additional data, in keeping with the e-mail.
The varsity mentioned the Workplace of College Counsel will join the coed with outdoors authorized sources, if requested, following college protocol.
“We notice that tonight’s information might be distressing to some members of our group, notably the members of our worldwide group,” wrote Kumar. “We’ll proceed to supply data, help, and sources within the days forward as extra particulars turn into accessible to us.”
A 12 months in the past, Ozturk co-authored an opinion piece printed within the Tufts scholar newspaper that criticized the college’s response to scholar efforts demanding the college disclose and sever its relationships with firms that held ties to Israel.
It is unknown if federal brokers selected to detain Ozturk over her activism or any protest exercise. However within the absence of any rationalization, group leaders expressed concern about free speech and educational freedom.
“The concept talking out or criticizing the college or U.S. overseas coverage in Palestine would warrant this detention will not be solely unprecedented, it’s unconstitutional,” mentioned Somerville state Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven. “I do know that my group understands that, and that we’re able to struggle to convey her residence.”
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, whose district contains Tufts, known as for Ozturk’s quick launch.
“We cannot stand by whereas the Trump Administration continues to abduct college students with authorized standing and assault our basic freedoms,” she mentioned in an announcement.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren mentioned Ozturk’s arrest was “the newest in an alarming sample to stifle civil liberties.
“The Trump admin is focusing on college students with authorized standing and ripping folks out of their communities with out due course of,” she mentioned in a publish on Bluesky. “That is an assault on our Structure and primary freedoms — and we’ll push again.”
A rally in help of Ozturk is deliberate for five:30 p.m. Wednesday at Powder Home Park in Somerville. Flyers with a telephone quantity and phrases that learn “SEE ICE? CALL THE LUCE HOTLINE” had been left on the entrance door of houses alongside the road the place federal authorities appeared to have taken Ozturk into custody. Most of the leaflets additionally confirmed small handwritten messages promoting the demonstration.
WBUR has reached to the Somerville mayor’s workplace for remark.
The incident follows related detentions and federal motion in opposition to worldwide college students from different universities who engaged in protests over Israel’s warfare in Gaza. Immigration authorities arrested Columbia College graduate scholar Mahmoud Khalil in early March. Khalil, a outstanding determine in college protest exercise, is a authorized everlasting resident of the USA and has but to be charged with any crime.
One other Columbia graduate scholar, Ranjani Srinivasan, mentioned she fled to Canada after the Trump administration revoked her visa. Srinivasan was arrested throughout a protest at Columbia final 12 months, however mentioned she was not a part of the group and was swept up by police.
With extra reporting from WBUR’s Cici Yu and Walter Wuthmann
