According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, over 300 individuals have had their visas revoked by US authorities as part of an initiative aimed at cracking down on support for Palestine at US universities.
Mr. Rubio stated that the visa of a Turkish student detained in Boston was cancelled because the US will not issue visas to individuals involved in actions that include “vandalising universities, harassing students, and occupying buildings.”
No evidence was provided to confirm whether Rumeysa Ozturk was involved in such activities.
During a press conference in Guyana, Mr. Rubio noted that the total number of visas revoked by the State Department may exceed 300.
These actions have been criticized as an infringement on free speech; however, the Trump administration contends that certain protests are anti-Semitic and could undermine US foreign policy.
A video capturing the arrest showed masked and plainclothes agents taking the 30-year-old Turkish national into custody near her residence in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Tuesday evening. According to her lawyer, she was en route to meet friends to break her Ramadan fast.
Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security, stated in a post on X that authorities determined Ms. Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that revels in the killing of Americans.”
“A visa is a privilege, not a right,” Ms. McLaughlin emphasized.
She did not detail the specific activities attributed to Ms. Ozturk, a Fulbright Scholar and student in the doctoral program for Child Study and Human Development at Tufts, who was in the US on an F-1 visa for her studies.
Her arrest occurred a year after Ms. Ozturk co-authored an opinion piece in the Tufts Daily, the university’s student newspaper, which critiqued Tufts’ response to student calls for divestment from companies associated with Israel and for acknowledgment of “the Palestinian genocide.”
Mahsa Khanbabai, Ms. Ozturk’s lawyer, commented, “Given the patterns we are observing nationwide, her exercise of free speech rights seems to have influenced her detention.”
Following Ms. Ozturk’s arrest, Ms. Khanbabai filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming unlawful detention. In response, US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston directed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to transfer Ms. Ozturk out of Massachusetts without at least 48 hours’ notice.
However, by last evening, Ms. Ozturk had been moved to Louisiana, in contradiction of the court order, according to Ms. Khanbabai.
She described the allegations against Ms. Ozturk as “baseless” and remarked that the manner in which DHS removed Rumeysa in broad daylight should horrify the public.
Democratic US Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts referred to her arrest as “the latest instance of an alarming pattern aimed at stifling civil liberties.”
The arrest sparked a significant demonstration in Somerville, where protesters held signs proclaiming “Resist,” “Defend student voices,” and “Release Rumeysa Ozturk now!”
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Her arrest is part of the Trump administration’s strategy to target international students as it aims to tighten immigration controls, which includes intensifying immigration arrests and imposing tight restrictions on border crossings.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Rubio, in particular, have vowed to deport foreign pro-Palestinian demonstrators, claiming they support Hamas militants, complicate US foreign policy, and exhibit anti-Semitic behavior.
Protesters, including several Jewish organizations, argue that the administration mistakenly equates their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism and assistance to Hamas.
In a statement, Tufts President Sunil Kumar acknowledged the school had no prior awareness of Ms. Ozturk’s arrest, an event he recognized might be “distressing to members of our community, especially among our international students.”
The Turkish embassy in Washington announced it is in communication with the US State Department, ICE, and other authorities regarding Ms. Ozturk’s detention.
“Every effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal support to safeguard the rights of our citizen,” the embassy affirmed.
Ms. Ozturk’s detention came less than three weeks after Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate of Columbia University and lawful permanent resident, was arrested under similar circumstances. He is contesting his detention after Mr. Trump, without substantiation, accused him of supporting Hamas, a claim Mr. Khalil denies.
Federal immigration authorities are also attempting to detain a South Korean-born Columbia University student who is a legal permanent resident and has taken part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. However, this move has been temporarily blocked by the courts.
This month, a Lebanese doctor and assistant professor at Brown University in Rhode Island was denied re-entry to the US and deported to Lebanon after the Trump administration alleged that her phone contained images “sympathetic” to Hezbollah.
Dr. Rasha Alawieh asserted she does not support the militant group but respects its slain leader due to her religion.
The Trump administration has also targeted students at Cornell University in New York, Georgetown University in Washington, and the University of Alabama.
