Hundreds of supporters gathered in Somerville to protest the arrest of Ph.D. candidate Rumeysa Ozturk, who is in the custody of ICE in Louisiana.
An international graduate student at Tufts University was taken into federal custody Tuesday night outside an off-campus apartment in Somerville, Massachusetts, according to the university and her attorney.
The student was identified by her attorney as Ph.D. candidate Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national.
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University officials said Wednesday that they had no prior knowledge of Ozturk's detention and did not share information with federal authorities. They said they’ve also been told the student’s visa has been terminated.
Video shared with NBC10 Boston shows Ozturk's detainment, the woman's attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai of Khanbabai Immigration Law, confirmed.
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The video shows Ozturk scream as she’s approached on a sidewalk by a man who grabs her. She’s eventually surrounded by seven plainclothes agents.
The attorney called for Ozturk's release.
"Rumeysa was heading to meet with friends to break her Ramadan fast on the evening of March 25th when she was detained near her home in Somerville, MA by DHS agents. 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. I filed a habeas petition requesting that she not be moved out of the District of MA which was granted by Judge Talwani last night. We hope Rumeysa will be released immediately," Khanbabai said in a statement, adding that Ozturk was maintaining valid F-1 visa status.
She later emailed NBC10 Boston that, "nearly 20 hours after her detention, there are still no charges and the government has not told us where she is. This is very bizarre and incredibly concerning."
Ozturk was found to have supported the terrorist organization Hamas, a senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told NBC News in a statement.
"Rumeysa Ozturk is a Turkish national and Tufts University graduate student, granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa," the statement said. "DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans. A visa is a privilege not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security."
The statement didn't say how Ozturk allegedly supported Hamas.
A U.S. District Court judge on Tuesday issued an order blocking the Trump administration from removing Ozturk from the state of Massachusetts without notice.
The order says that the "petitioner shall not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without first providing advance notice of the intended move. Such notice shall be filed in writing on the docket in this proceeding, and shall state the reason why the government believes that such a movement is necessary and should not be stayed pending further court proceedings."
Ozturk was listed Wednesday afternoon in the ICE Online Detainee Locator System as being at the agency's Basile, Louisiana, processing center. It wasn't immediately clear when she was moved to Louisiana — if it was before or after judge's order blocking her removal.
Asked about Ozturk being moved to Louisiana, Khanbabai confirmed she was told about the transfer, adding, that she believed federal authorities would have been made aware of the order.
"Why she was transferred is beyond me," Khanbabai said.
Reaction to Tufts student's detention in Somerville
One neighbor told NBC10 Boston that he called, 911 thinking it was a kidnapping. Another neighbor says there had been agents staked out in the neighborhood for two days.
They were shocked to see the video.
“As a woman being approached by anybody is so scary and then to not know where you’re going, to have them touch you, like it’s, you feel less than, and I can’t imagine how scared she is," said Ava Gupta, who lives nearby.
“We are really alarmed that this is happening in our neighborhood and that people are being targeted like this. Nobody should be afraid going about their business, nobody should be afraid of speaking their mind, and that this is happening in Somerville in our neighborhood is alarming and disturbing," Dipak Naker, another neighborhood resident, said.
Tufts is one of several Massachusetts universities facing a federal investigation in response to complaints of antisemitic discrimination due to protests over the war in Gaza.
Tufts University President Sunil Kumar said in a statement, “We realize that tonight’s news will be distressing to some members of our community, particularly the members of our international community. We will continue to provide information, support, and resources in the days ahead as more details become available to us.”
Kumar and other school leaders issued another statement Wednesday night after confirmation that Ozturk was detained and is in Louisiana.
"We recognize how frightening and distressing this situation is for her, her loved ones, and the larger community here at Tufts, especially our international students, staff, and faculty who may be feeling vulnerable or unsettled by these events," the school leaders said. "As noted by the Massachusetts Attorney General in her statement today, the footage of Rumeysa’s arrest is disturbing. We stand with our Muslim students, especially during their observance of Ramadan, as we recognize that Rumeysa was on her way to an Iftar gathering with friends at the Interfaith Center when she was detained."
The school also said it has a protocol to notify the Tufts University Police Department and inform the dispatcher in the event of "government officials who arrive on campus for an unannounced site visit." People are urged to call 617-627-3030 to report such an incident.
A rally in support of Ozturk was held in Powderhouse Park Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of people gathered around the town's colonial-era powder house.
Mass. lawmakers react to Ozturk case
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said her office was closely monitoring the "disturbing" arrest.
“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," Campbell said. "This isn’t public safety, it’s intimidation that will, and should, be closely scrutinized in court”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren called the student's detention "an attack on our Constitution and basic freedoms" in a statement Wednesday.
"This arrest is the latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties. The Trump administration is targeting students with legal status and ripping people out of their communities without due process," she said.
In a statement, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who represents Somerville in Congress, called the incident "a horrifying violation of Rumeysa's constitutional rights to due process and free speech," and said she had to be released immediately, adding, “And we won't stand by while the Trump Administration continues to abduct students with legal status and attack our fundamental freedoms."
Recent federal immigration activity in Massachusetts
The arrest follows the recent slew of ICE arrests in the greater Boston area at the direction of border czar Tom Homan.
Gov. Maura Healey spoke yesterday, prior to the detention of this Tufts international student, about Homan’s criticism of the Bay State’s cooperation with these raids.
“I'm just going to continue to do my job as governor. I mean, I'm not sure what they're looking for. As I say, we have been cooperating. We'll continue to cooperate. I, as governor and as a former attorney general, always do everything in my power and interest to make sure that we're taking care of public safety in our neighborhoods and in our community," Healey said.
