Who is Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts University PhD candidate detained by US immigration officials?
Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD student from Turkey attending Tufts University, was taken into custody by immigration agents in plain clothes in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 26. The Department of Homeland Security in the United States claims that she participated in actions that support Hamas, resulting in the cancellation of her visa, although no formal charges have been made against her. Ozturk, a Turkish citizen and doctoral candidate at Tufts, was "caught off guard" by federal immigration officials near her residence off campus in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Tuesday.
This event has prompted worries among legal professionals, university administrators, and advocates for civil rights regarding the nature of her detention and the legal grounds for her arrest.
Ozturk, who practices Islam, was supposedly en route to an Iftar event to break her fast during Ramzan when she encountered agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in plain clothes. Her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, stated that she had a valid student visa at the moment of her arrest. Nonetheless, she was forcibly restrained, handcuffed, and taken into custody without any immediate clarification.
Arrest footage raises questions
Neighborhood security cameras recorded the events just before Ozturk's arrest. The footage shows a man in casual attire signaling to her before stepping into her path to impede her departure.
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