Detention of Rümeysa Öztürk

On March 27, 2025, 30-year-old Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk was detained by six plainclothed agents of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, and driven off in an unmarked car. Reportedly, she was transported to an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration detention center in Louisiana and then, after a court order, to Vermont.

Ozturk is a Turkish citizen who entered the USA on an F-1 student visa to study human development. She was responsible for co-authoring an article in The Tufts Daily, a student newspaper of Tufts University. The article criticized the university’s response to the pro-Palestinian movement and Israel's alleged genocide in Gaza; it was written by four students and endorsed by 32 others. Öztürk's fellow students believe that she was targeted for contributing to this article. After her detainment, ICE released a statement, accusing her of engaging in activities in support of Hamas. DHS later confirmed that her student visa was terminated.

Öztürk's arrest caused many reactions among government officials and others. Some have accused the Trump administration of targeting students for their opinions without due process, while others have said that it was a violation of civil liberties. It also caused various protests from students and other people in Tufts University campus and other areas of Massachusetts. Thousands of people participated in the protests, including the mayor of Boston herself, Michelle Wu.

Öztürk, 30, is a PhD student of Tufts University, she was a member of the university’s Child Study and Human Development program. According to her now-deleted LinkedIn profile, she previously received a master's degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Öztürk was a Fulbright Scholar and previously worked as a research assistant at Boston University. She is a citizen of Turkey and came to the USA on an F-1 student visa for study. According to Rümeysa Öztürk’s lawyer, she was arrested multiple times while walking to meet friends for her Ramadan fast. Öztürk’s brother, Asim, in a post on X, stated that he believes she was targeted by the Trump administration as part of a “witch hunt” against “those who support Palestine"; he added that she never took part in any “provocative or aggressive action” in support of her pro-Palestinian beliefs. Öztürk’s friends and colleagues said that she was “not closely involved in pro-Palestinian protests” on campus and that the article she co-authored was her only known activism.^[1][2] Some pro-Israel groups asserted, without providing evidence, that she had led pro-Palestine events on campus.^[3]

In March 2024, 1 year before her detention, Öztürk co-wrote an article in the university’s newspaper The Tufts Daily, in which she called for the university to acknowledge "Palestinian genocide" and move away from companies with ties to Israel because of the conflict in Gaza; the article was written by four students and endorsed by 32 others.^[4][5][6] The article wrote: "Credible accusations against Israel include accounts of deliberate starvation and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians and plausible genocide". After the article was published, Öztürk’s real-life name, photograph and work history were published on the website, Canary Mission, a pro-Israeli organization that describes itself as documenting people who "promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses".^[4][7] Friends of Öztürk believe that she was targetted because of this incident.^[8]

One of Öztürks friends described her as "sweet, kind and gentle", which, according to him, made her arrest by ICE more "shocking". Her friend also stated that she was "soft spoken" and was never "discriminatory towards anyone"; he also said she had never heard her use swear words. Tufts University's human development department posted a tribute to her after her arrest, describing Öztürk as a “valued member of our community” whose “genuineness and care for others have been felt deeply here at Tufts”. Reyyan Bilge, an assistant teaching professor in psychology at Northeastern University who has known Öztürk for decades, has claimed that she broke down in tears after discovering her arrest.^[8]

Several days before Öztürk's detention, the Department of Homeland Security revoked her student visa without notifying her.^[9] On March 27, 2025, Öztürk left her home to meet her friends for iftar in Somerville, an Islamic meal during Ramadan.^[10] Surveillance footage from the neighborhood showed her walking on the street wearing a hijab and white coat.^[11] A man dressed in casual clothing was seen waving at her before stepping in her path to prevent her from walking away. She tried to move past him, but he stopped her again and engaged in a short conversation before grabbing her hands. Then, an another man walked to her and pulled out a concealed police badge on a lanyard before taking her smartphone away.^[12][13] As more plainclothed people walked up to her, she screamed and asked, "What's going on?". A plainclothed man can be heard saying, “We’re the police, relax,” while another calms her, saying “OK, it’s fine”.^[12] They proceeded to take her backpack away and handcuff her. An unseen bystander can be heard saying: “Is this a kidnapping?”, the planclothed people can be seen responding to him: “We’re the police”, the bystander replied: “You don’t look like it. Why are you hiding your faces?”.^[14]

She was then escorted by six plainclothed officers, three men and three women, to an unmarked black SUV before driving off.^[15][16][2] For 24 hours, Öztürk’s ___location was unknown for everyone, including to her lawyer. On Wednesday, he was informed that she was being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Basile, Louisiana.^[17][18] The facility is located 1,500 miles (2,400 km) away from her home, she was transported here despite a court order issued six hours after her detainment that prohibited Öztürk from being moved outside Massachusetts without 48 hours notice.^[19] Öztürk has asthma, reportedly, while she was being transported by law enforcement to Louisiana, she suffered an asthma attack.^[20][19] According to her lawyer, this incident raises concerns about asthma attacks that she may suffer in the future.^[21] According to her lawyer, she has not been charged with any crime and was only targetted for the Tufts Daily article she co-authored.^[22] After her detainment, a Department of Homeland Security's spokesperson issued a statement confirming Ozturk’s detention and the termination of her visa, saying that they found evidence Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, an US designated terrorist group.^[23] He added that “supporting terrorists” is grounds for visa termination, though he shared no evidence of her support for Hamas.^[24][25]

The government of Turkey is actively working to release Öztürk from ICE's detention. On March 28, 2025, Turkey's Consul General of Houston visited the ICE detention facility in Louisiana where she is being held. According to Oncu Keceli, a spokesperson for Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, her requests and demands here were forwarded to local authorities and her lawyer. He also said that the consul general will visit her again and that she is being provided consular and legal support by Turkish diplomatic missions in the US.^[26][27]

On March 29, a federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily prohibited her deportation to Turkey, she gave US authorities 4 days until Tuesday to respond to an "updated complaint" filed by Ozturk’s lawyers.^[26]

On April 1, 2025, the federal government disclosed a number of secret documents about her detention and arrest in response to Judge Indira Talwani’s order to provide information about the timeline of her arrest. According to documents, Öztürk was detained at approximately 5:15 PM and transported from Somerville in ICE custody. At 6:36 PM she was transported to Lebanon, New Hampshire, and then to the ICE field Office in St. Albans, Vermont at 10:28 PM. In the evening, attorney Mahsa Khanbabai was hired by Öztürk and immediately filed a complaint on her behalf to the District of Massachusetts at approximately 10:01 PM. While Öztürk was in Vermont, she was issued a notice to appear in Louisiana court on April 7. She was then transported to the airport located somewhere in Burlington at 4:00 PM, and departed at 5:31 AM. She arrived in Alexandria, Louisiana, at 2:35 PM, and was later transported to the South Louisiana Immigration Center in Basile. Federal government stated that ICE had determined there were no beds left for Öztürk in any of its detention facilities in New England and decided to transfer her to Louisiana before she was arrested. It also stated that transfers out of state are routinely conducted.^[28][29] Öztürk's lawyers accused the government of intentionally trying to "frustrate the ability of counsel to file habeas corpus petition on her behalf" by rapidly moving her to distant locations in multiple states.^[30] A federal judge in Boston will be holding a court hearing on April 10, 2025.^[31]

On April 3, 2025, Öztürk's lawyer read a statement on her behalf outside of the federal court in Boston after a court hearing on whether a lawsuit against her detention could remain in Massachusetts even though she is detained in Louisiana. The Öztürk's statement read: "Efforts to target me because of my op-ed in the Tufts Daily calling for the equal dignity and humanity of all people will not deter me from my commitment to advocate for the rights of youth and children".^[32] One of Öztürk's lawyers, Adriana Lafaille, stated that the only reason she was taken to Louisiana was because the government was "trying to steer the case out of New England by whisking away the petitioner to its forum of choice".^[33] On April 4, 2025, Judge Denise Casper ordered Öztürk's court case be moved from Louisiana to Vermont. According to her, Ozturk should be held in Vermont because she was previously held there while her lawyers, not knowing where she is located, filed a petition for her release in Boston. Denise Casper also said that her order blocking Öztürk's deportation will remain in effect unless the transferee court orders otherwise.^[34][35]

Tufts University President Sunil Kumar said on Tuesday evening that the school received reports about her being taken into custody by federal authorities at an off-campus apartment building. He said that the university was in touch with local and federal elected officials and hopes "that Rumeysa is provided the opportunity to avail herself of her due process rights." He also said that Tufts University stands with its Muslim students.^[2][36] On April 1, 2025, he submitted a declaration to the court supporting Öztürk and her motion to be released and returned to Massachusetts. Kumar stated that Tufts University has no information to support the accusations that she was supporting Hamas.^[37][38] Kumar's declaration marked the first time the university has publicly defended one of its students in court.^[38]

Öztürk’s lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, has filed a petition together with ACLU, requesting her immediate release. In a statement, she said: "Rümeysa Öztürk’s experience is shocking, cruel, and unconstitutional. For nearly 24 hours, we could not locate her, and despite a court order to prevent the government from taking her out of Massachusetts, we finally learned the Trump administration had shipped her to Louisiana".^[39][40] Öztürk's legal team alleged that her arrest and detention violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States and that she had received no notice about the revocation of her student visa.^[41] Her legal case is currently being reviewed by federal court.^[27]

Democratic US government representatives Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib condemned her detention, and accused the Trump Administration of attacking freedoms and increasing government repression.^[42] Senator Elizabeth Warren called the arrest "the latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties".^[43]

The Turkish embassy stated that it is closely monitoring her detention. In a statement, the embassy said: "Every effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal assistance to protect the rights of our citizens".^[44] Turkish minister of justice, Yilmaz Tunc, in a statement he made on March 27, called her detention and arrest "unacceptable". He added that she was detained "simply for supporting Palestine" and that she is being subjected to "unjust treatment".^[45] Leader of Turkish Republican People's Party, Özgür Özel, strongly condemned Öztürk's detention. Other Turkish politicians also condemned it, including the leader of the Democracy and Progress party, Ali Babacan.^[46][47]

More than 2,000 students protested at Tufts campus against her arrest. In a statement posted to X, Massachusetts attorney general Andrea Campbell called her arrest "disturbing." She also added: "Based on what we now know, it is alarming that the federal administration chose to ambush and detain her, apparently targeting a law-abiding individual because of her political views".^[48][49] On April 1, 2025, a group of 200 students organized by "Coalition for Palestinian Liberation" protested outside of Ballou Hall in Tufts University, calling for the release of Öztürk. Student protesters carried signs that listed seven demands to the university, these include: "condemn Rumeysa’s abduction for pro-Palestine speech" and "expunge student disciplinary records".^[50] On April 2, 2025, a group of 200 protesters, including Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, state Attorney General Andrea Campbell and David Foley, president of Service Employees International Union Local 501, to which Öztürk belonged, gathered in downtown Boston and protested for Öztürk's release. The group chanted: "Free Rümeysa, free them all” and "Boston will never back down to bullies".^[51]

• Activist deportations in the second Trump presidency
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• Öztürk v. Hyde case docket, 1:25-cv-10695