Turkish PhD student at Tufts University detained by US border agents

Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk was arrested by US immigration authorities late Tuesday near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, according to her lawyer.

The Turkish national was detained March 25 by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while heading to an iftar dinner to break her fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"Rumeysa Ozturk is a Turkish national who was maintaining valid F-1 status as a PhD student at Tufts University," her lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai said in a statement. "Rumeysa was heading to meet with friends when she was detained by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) agents. We are unaware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her."

Ozturk's detention follows a campaign by Canary Mission, a pro-Israel website that blacklists pro-Palestine students and activists. In 2024, Ozturk co-authored an op-ed in the Tufts University newspaper, urging the school to acknowledge what she described as the Palestinian genocide and to divest from companies with ties to Israel.

Her detention also comes amid the Trump administration's widespread crackdown on pro-Palestinian students and academics, including Palestinian activist and recent Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil and Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri.

A viral video captured the moments of Ozturk's detention, showing ICE agents handcuffing her despite her not resisting. Ozturk is heard speaking to her mother on the phone in Turkish: “Mom, I have to hang up," she said.

No charges have been filed against Ozturk, according to her lawyer. Khanbabai said he has filed a habeas petition requesting that Ozturk not be moved out of the District of Massachusetts. Judge Indira Talwani granted the petition late Tuesday.

A DHS spokesperson told Anadolu that the agency and ICE investigations found Ozturk "engaged in activities in support of Hamas," but did not provide evidence.

Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar, is a PhD student in the child study and human development program at Tufts.

Her brother, Asim Ozturk, told Anadolu that Rumeysa had grown increasingly concerned recently about the changing climate under the Trump administration, as many pro-Palestinian students are facing arrests and deportations.

Her detention is a "witch hunt against those who support Palestine," he said. "My sister has expressed the suffering of Palestinians intellectually and has not been involved in any aggressive action. Because of her Muslim identity, she is being victimized by such unfair practices."

He believes her detention is linked to an article she wrote for Tufts University's magazine a year ago, criticizing the university's approach to Israel's deadly military assault on Gaza and Canary Mission's targeting of her.

"We have not received any information from the authorities about exactly where she is being held," he said.

"This action against my sister is, first and foremost, a violation of the US Constitution. In a country known as the “land of the free,” freedom of expression and freedom of belief, which are considered among the most fundamental rights, have been targeted. There is a violation of international rights and this action is also against international law," he added.

Tufts University, in an email to students, said the school received reports of an international graduate student being taken into custody by federal authorities, without disclosing a name.

"The university had no pre-knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities prior to the event," university President Sunil Kumar said in a statement. "From what we have been told subsequently, the student's visa status has been terminated, and we seek to confirm whether that information is true."

The school said it is assisting Ozturk with legal resources. "Following university protocol, the Office of University Counsel will assist in connecting the student to external legal resources should the individual request our assistance," it added.

Ozturk remains listed in the ICE database as “in custody.”