Tufts University student taken into immigration custody by federal agents in Massachusetts
A Tufts University international graduate student was taken into custody by federal authorities in Massachusetts Tuesday evening. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk "engaged in activities in support of Hamas," but did not provide details about her alleged activities.
A DHS spokesperson told CBS News on Wednesday that she is being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in central Louisiana.
In an email to campus, Tufts University President Sunil Kumar said Ozturk was apprehended "outside an off-campus apartment building in Somerville."
In a follow-up letter Wednesday night, school officials also confirmed that Ozturk was being detained in Louisiana. The school disclosed that Ozturk was arrested while on her way to a Ramadan iftar dinner.
"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," school officials said in the letter.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a statement that footage of the arrest was "disturbing."
Homeland Security statement on Rumeysa Ozturk
The Homeland Security spokesperson did not provide evidence as to how Ozturk allegedly supported Hamas.
"DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans," the spokesperson said. "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."
Ozturk is one of four students listed as authors of an op-ed from March 2024 in the Tufts Daily student newspaper. It urges Tufts to adopt resolutions from the student government to "acknowledge the Palestinian genocide" and "divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel." The article does not mention Hamas.
Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk detained
Her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, told WBZ-TV in an email that Ozturk "was maintaining valid F-1 status as a PhD student at Tufts" when she was detained by Department of Homeland Security agents near her home as she "was heading to meet with friends to break her Ramadan fast."
"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.
Ozturk was walking on the sidewalk when the masked agents took her into custody and put her in an unmarked vehicle. Neighbors claim the agents have been watching the area.
"We had noticed a person sitting in a Ford Explorer, black Ford Explorer just on the corner of our street for a full day with the engine on and taking notes so we were a little but surprised to see that," said Depak Naker.
It was Mike Mathis' security camera that caught the arrest, saying one of the vans had been on the street since the early morning on Tuesday.
"I live in Somerville, you know we're supposed to be a sanctuary city, we're supposed to be a place of safety," Mathis said. "She's a student here on a visa."
Tufts student visa "terminated"
Kumar said the university was told the student's visa status "has been terminated" and that they're looking for more information on what happened.
"The university had no pre-knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities prior to the event, and the location where this took place is not affiliated with Tufts University," Kumar said in the email.
"The university has no additional information at this time about the cause or circumstances of the student's apprehension and is attempting to learn more about the incident."
The president said Tufts has an "established protocol for responding to government agents who arrive on campus (or off-campus), for an unannounced site visit" and that starts with a call to campus police.
The Boston office of the FBI told WBZ-TV on Wednesday that "It's an ICE matter."
Friend believes group posted her information online
Her friend and former teacher Reyyan Bilge believes a group claiming to combat a rise in antisemitism on college campuses posted her information online which she says is the farthest from the truth.
"She is pro-Palestinian, we need to make a definition here, and we need to actually state very clearly that she is not antisemitic," Bilge told WBZ-TV.
Ozturk's studies included how refugee children are underrepresented in the media.
"If this were to happen to Rumeysa that means it could happen to anyone who comes to the U.S. on a valid visa," Bilge said.
"A very bad thing"
Governor Maura Healey said Massachusetts has "hundreds of thousands of students who come from other countries every year."
"People want to come and study here, so I'm very concerned that actions by the Trump administration to signal to students in other countries - don't come to Massachusetts - that's a very bad thing," she told reporters Wednesday when asked about the incident. "It's a bad thing for science, it's a bad thing for research. It's a very bad thing for the economy if foreign students are afraid to come and study and live here and contribute."
"There's a reason why Massachusetts has a disproportionate number of Nobel Prize winners. It's because people come from all over the world to study here," Healey said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement "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," Warren said. "This is an attack on our Constitution and basic freedoms - and we will push back."
Rally for Tufts student in Somerville
Hundreds of protesters gathered at Powder House Square Park near the Tufts campus on Wednesday evening in support of Ozturk.
Somerville is one of the communities in Massachusetts that have designated themselves as sanctuary cities. Massachusetts law does not allow law enforcement to hold someone for just their immigration status.
"Border czar" in Massachusetts
Earlier this week, President Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan said he visited Boston recently as ICE arrested 370 people in Massachusetts, who are allegedly in the U.S. illegally.
On Tuesday, Homan said some of those arrested were "collaterals," but that "the majority" of those apprehended were criminals that included murderers, child rapists and drug traffickers.
