30-year-old Rumeysa Ozturk detention went viral on social media after it showed that a group of masked people, allegedly ICE agents, took her away in an unmarked vehicle.
Amid Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian supporters, ICE officials have detained and revoked the visa of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University. 30-year-old Rumeysa Ozturk detention went viral on social media after it showed that a group of masked people, allegedly ICE agents, took her away in an unmarked vehicle.
As per the student's lawyer and neighbours who witnessed this, her detention was more similar to a "kidnapping."
As per the viral video, six people, with their faces covered, approached the student outside her home in Somerville on Tuesday night.
The "officials" went on to take away Ozturk's phone and handcuffed her as she yelled for help. The detention took place when Ozturk, who was leaving to meet friends for iftar, a meal that breaks the fast during the month of Ramadan.
"We are unaware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her. No charges have been filed against Rumeysa to date that we are aware of,” said lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai.
Speaking to AP, Ozturk's neighbour stated that the incident "looked like a kidnapping."
"They approach her and start grabbing her with their faces covered. They’re covering their faces. They’re in unmarked vehicles," said Michael Mathis.
Tufts University has also stated that it was unaware of the detention and did not share any information regarding Ozturk with the federal government.
"The university had no pre-knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities prior to the event,” said Sunil Kumar, the President of Tufts University.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued an order to the federal government, demanding an answer and the reason behind Ozrturk's detention by Friday.
The judge also ordered that the student should not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without 48-hours advance notice.
Ozturk is a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University. The Turkish student was enrolled in the private university on a valid F-1 visa.
In March 2024, Ozturk wrote an op-ed in the school's newspaper, where she criticised the university's response to the pro-Palestinian movement.
Ozturk's detention comes amid the Trump administration's crackdown on Palestinian activists and students who took part in the mass pro-Palestinian protests across US universities last year.