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What we know about the Tufts University student detained by federal agents

What we know about the Tufts University student detained by federal agents
WHAT HAPPENED? THIS IS OUTRAGE FROM LOCAL LAWMAKERS AFTER FEDERAL AGENTS DETAINED TUFTS STUDENT AND TURKISH NATIONAL RAMEEZA OSTRICH LAST YEAR, SHE COAUTHORED AN OP ED CRITICAL OF THE WAR IN GAZA. THIS IDEA THAT ONE CAN LOSE THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOR SPEAKING OUT BASED ON, YOU KNOW, AND THEN LOSE, YOU KNOW, TO LOSE EVERYTHING FOR THAT, IT鈥橲 JUST REALLY TERRIFYING. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS THIS ISN鈥橳 PUBLIC SAFETY. IT鈥橲 INTIMIDATION THAT WILL AND SHOULD BE CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED IN COURT. MY OFFICE IS CLOSELY MONITORING THIS MATTER AS IT DEVELOPS. REPRESENTATIVE AYANNA PRESSLEY SAYS THIS IS A HORRIFYING VIOLATION OF HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO DUE PROCESS AND FREE SPEECH. SHE MUST BE IMMEDIATELY RELEASED. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU OBTAIN A LEGAL STATUS TO BE HERE THROUGH A VISA THAT ISN鈥橳 A PERMISSION SLIP TO ADHERE TO A CERTAIN POLITICAL VIEW? SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN SAYS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS TARGETING STUDENTS WITH LEGAL STATUS AND RIPPING PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR COMMUNITIES WITHOUT DUE PROCESS. THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR CONSTITUTION AND BASIC FREEDOMS, AND WE WILL PUSH BACK. IT COMES A WEEK AFTER ICE ARRESTED HUNDREDS IN MASSACHUSETTS. WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY WITH LAWS AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, AND IT鈥橲 IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE TRANSPARENCY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY TOOK PLACE. GOVERNOR HEALEY SAYING AUSTRAC鈥橲 ARREST COULD HURT THE STATE. I鈥橫 VERY CONCERNED THAT ACTIONS BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO SIGNAL TO STUDENTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES DON鈥橳 COME TO MASSACHUSETTS. THAT鈥橲 A VERY BAD THING. SO AGAIN, THAT RALLY GETTING UNDERWAY SHORTLY, AND YOU CAN SEE STREAMS OF PEOPLE ACTUALLY HEADING TOWARD IT. WE CAN TELL YOU THAT STATE SENATOR PAT JALEN TOLD US TONIGHT THIS REMINDS HER OF THE MCCARTHY ERA. AND THE MAYOR OF SOMERVILLE ALSO SAYING THIS STUDENT HAS A RIGHT TO BOTH FREE SPEECH AND DUE
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What we know about the Tufts University student detained by federal agents
As the sun began to set Tuesday over Somerville, Massachusetts, Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk was on her way to meet friends at an Iftar dinner where they would break their Ramadan fast.But she would never make it to the gathering, according to her attorney. Instead, the 30-year-old was arrested and physically restrained by immigration officers near her apartment, close to Tufts University鈥檚 Somerville campus where she was a PhD student, lawyer Masha Khanbabai told CNN.Six plainclothes officers surrounded Ozturk as she walked alone, neighborhood surveillance video appears to show. The officers did not show their badges until she was restrained, the video shows.Ozturk is one of several foreign nationals affiliated with prestigious American universities to be arrested for purported activities related to terrorist organizations amid the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration crackdown. They include Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist taken into custody this month outside his Columbia University apartment.Ozturk 鈥渆ngaged in activities in support of Hamas,鈥� a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Wednesday in a statement without specifying what those alleged activities were.No charges have been filed against Ozturk, her attorney told CNN. She is being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Here鈥檚 what we know about her arrest:Who is Rumeysa Ozturk?Ozturk was enrolled in a PhD program at Tufts University on a valid F-1 visa, which allows international students to pursue full-time academic studies, Khanbabai said.In March 2024, Ozturk cowrote an op-ed in the school鈥檚 newspaper in which she criticized Tufts鈥� response to a student government group鈥檚 call for the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel because of the conflict in Gaza, among other demands.Video below: Video shows federal agents detaining Tufts student鈥淐redible accusations against Israel include accounts of deliberate starvation and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians and plausible genocide,鈥� the op-ed says.Tufts University officials said the school had no prior knowledge of her arrest.The university 鈥渄id not share any information with federal authorities prior to the event, and the location where this took place is not affiliated with Tufts University,鈥� Tufts President Sunil Kumar said in a written statement. 鈥淔rom what we have been told subsequently, the student鈥檚 visa status has been terminated, and we seek to confirm whether that information is true.鈥滽umar shared the concerns of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in calling the video of Ozturk鈥檚 arrest 鈥渄isturbing,鈥� he said in an updated statement late Wednesday that included additional guidance and resources for international students.鈥淲e recognize how frightening and distressing this situation is for (Ozturk), 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,鈥� Kumar added.鈥淟et me assure you that the university is doing everything in our power to support our community, as we continue to learn more information about this troubling event in real time,鈥� a Tufts official wrote to university alumni in an email obtained by CNN. The university is in touch with local, state and federal elected officials and 鈥渉ope that Rumeysa is provided the opportunity to avail herself of her due process rights,鈥� he said.The Turkish government is monitoring the case and staying in touch with Ozturk鈥檚 family, it said.鈥淚nitiatives have been made with the US Department of State, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Unit and other authorized units,鈥� the Turkish embassy said on X, on Wednesday. 鈥淓very effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal support to protect the rights of our citizens.鈥滱 U.S. State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the case.鈥淒ue to privacy and other considerations, and visa confidentiality, we generally will not comment on Department actions with respect to specific cases,鈥� a State Department spokesperson told CNN.Sudden arrest caught on cameraSurveillance video released Wednesday and obtained from a neighbor by the advocacy group Muslim Justice League appears to show six plainclothes officers casually approaching Ozturk as she walks alone on a sidewalk.One officer wearing a hat and hoodie grabs her arms, causing Ozturk to shriek in fear as another pulls out a concealed badge on a lanyard and confiscates her cell phone.Shortly afterward, the officers all pull cloth coverings over their mouths and noses, some of them wearing sunglasses, as one of them restrains Ozturk鈥檚 hands behind her back.As the officers say, 鈥淲e鈥檙e the police,鈥� a person not seen in the video can be heard responding, 鈥淵eah, you don鈥檛 look like it. Why are you hiding your faces?鈥漁ne minute after the encounter began, Ozturk is walked into a waiting SUV and driven away.ICE has not responded to CNN鈥檚 request for comment on Ozturk鈥檚 case.The use of facial coverings is similar to an account of the arrest of Georgetown University fellow Bada Khan Suri, whose attorney Nermeen Arastu told CNN the officers who detained Khan Suri were 鈥渂randishing weapons.鈥濃淚CE agents came in the night, took him captive, taking him from his wife and children, and hauled him away to an unknown location before transferring him to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana, far from his family and attorneys,鈥� Arastu added on Suri.Detained in LouisianaAfter she was detained on Tuesday, Ozturk鈥檚 attorney filed a petition in federal district court in Boston challenging the legality of her detention and asking her not to be moved out of Massachusetts.鈥�(Ozturk) shall not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without first providing advance notice of the intended move,鈥� District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, wrote Tuesday in an order.But she already had been transferred to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Wednesday. Ozturk is now the third international student known to be transferred to Louisiana after being detained by federal officers. Khalil and Georgetown fellow Badar Khan Suri were both transferred to an ICE detention facility in Jena.鈥淟ike all the other immigration cases related to international students and activists who have spoken up about the atrocities in Palestine, the government throws around wild accusations but provides no evidence,鈥� Khanbabai said. 鈥淲e hope Rumeysa will be released immediately.鈥�

As the sun began to set Tuesday over Somerville, Massachusetts, Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk was on her way to meet friends at an Iftar dinner where they would break their Ramadan fast.

But she would never make it to the gathering, according to her attorney. Instead, the 30-year-old was arrested and physically restrained by immigration officers near her apartment, close to Tufts University鈥檚 Somerville campus where she was a PhD student, lawyer Masha Khanbabai told CNN.

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Six plainclothes officers surrounded Ozturk as she walked alone, neighborhood surveillance video appears to show. The officers did not show their badges until she was restrained, the video shows.

Ozturk is one of several foreign nationals affiliated with prestigious American universities to be arrested for purported activities related to terrorist organizations amid the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration crackdown. They include Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist taken into custody this month outside his Columbia University apartment.

Ozturk 鈥渆ngaged in activities in support of Hamas,鈥� a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Wednesday in a statement without specifying what those alleged activities were.

No charges have been filed against Ozturk, her attorney told CNN. She is being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Here鈥檚 what we know about her arrest:

Who is Rumeysa Ozturk?

Ozturk was enrolled in a PhD program at Tufts University on a valid F-1 visa, which allows international students to pursue full-time academic studies, Khanbabai said.

In March 2024, Ozturk cowrote an in which she criticized Tufts鈥� response to a student government group鈥檚 call for the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel because of the conflict in Gaza, among other demands.

Video below: Video shows federal agents detaining Tufts student

鈥淐redible accusations against Israel include accounts of deliberate starvation and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians and plausible genocide,鈥� the op-ed says.

Tufts University officials said the school had no prior knowledge of her arrest.

The university 鈥渄id not share any information with federal authorities prior to the event, and the location where this took place is not affiliated with Tufts University,鈥� Tufts President Sunil Kumar said in a written statement. 鈥淔rom what we have been told subsequently, the student鈥檚 visa status has been terminated, and we seek to confirm whether that information is true.鈥�

Kumar shared the concerns of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in calling the video of Ozturk鈥檚 arrest 鈥渄isturbing,鈥� he said in an updated statement late Wednesday that included additional guidance and resources for international students.

鈥淲e recognize how frightening and distressing this situation is for (Ozturk), 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,鈥� Kumar added.

鈥淟et me assure you that the university is doing everything in our power to support our community, as we continue to learn more information about this troubling event in real time,鈥� a Tufts official wrote to university alumni in an email obtained by CNN.

The university is in touch with local, state and federal elected officials and 鈥渉ope that Rumeysa is provided the opportunity to avail herself of her due process rights,鈥� he said.

The Turkish government is monitoring the case and staying in touch with Ozturk鈥檚 family, it said.

鈥淚nitiatives have been made with the US Department of State, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Unit and other authorized units,鈥� the Turkish embassy said , on Wednesday. 鈥淓very effort is being made to provide the necessary consular services and legal support to protect the rights of our citizens.鈥�

A U.S. State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the case.

鈥淒ue to privacy and other considerations, and visa confidentiality, we generally will not comment on Department actions with respect to specific cases,鈥� a State Department spokesperson told CNN.

Sudden arrest caught on camera

Surveillance video released Wednesday and obtained from a neighbor by the advocacy group appears to show six plainclothes officers casually approaching Ozturk as she walks alone on a sidewalk.

One officer wearing a hat and hoodie grabs her arms, causing Ozturk to shriek in fear as another pulls out a concealed badge on a lanyard and confiscates her cell phone.

Shortly afterward, the officers all pull cloth coverings over their mouths and noses, some of them wearing sunglasses, as one of them restrains Ozturk鈥檚 hands behind her back.

As the officers say, 鈥淲e鈥檙e the police,鈥� a person not seen in the video can be heard responding, 鈥淵eah, you don鈥檛 look like it. Why are you hiding your faces?鈥�

One minute after the encounter began, Ozturk is walked into a waiting SUV and driven away.

ICE has not responded to CNN鈥檚 request for comment on Ozturk鈥檚 case.

The use of facial coverings is similar to an account of the arrest of Georgetown University fellow Bada Khan Suri, whose attorney Nermeen Arastu told CNN the officers who detained Khan Suri were 鈥渂randishing weapons.鈥�

鈥淚CE agents came in the night, took him captive, taking him from his wife and children, and hauled him away to an unknown location before transferring him to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana, far from his family and attorneys,鈥� Arastu added on Suri.

Detained in Louisiana

After she was detained on Tuesday, Ozturk鈥檚 attorney filed a petition in federal district court in Boston challenging the legality of her detention and asking her not to be moved out of Massachusetts.

鈥�(Ozturk) shall not be moved outside the District of Massachusetts without first providing advance notice of the intended move,鈥� District Judge Indira Talwani, an , wrote Tuesday in an order.

But she already had been transferred to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Wednesday.

Ozturk is now the third international student known to be transferred to Louisiana after being detained by federal officers. Khalil and Georgetown fellow Badar Khan Suri were both transferred to an ICE detention facility in Jena.

鈥淟ike all the other immigration cases related to international students and activists who have spoken up about the atrocities in Palestine, the government throws around wild accusations but provides no evidence,鈥� Khanbabai said. 鈥淲e hope Rumeysa will be released immediately.鈥�