US Immigration Arrested This Turkish Student For Writing A Pro-Palestine Article And Now She May Be Deported
Authorities arrested Ozturk because she had "engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans".
US immigration authorities arrested 30-year-old Rumeysa Ozturk, who was studying at Tufts University in Massachusetts, while she was heading to an Iftar meal to celebrate Ramadan on Tuesday, March 25.
In CCTV footage, about six agents of the Department of Homeland Security, who appeared to be wearing plain clothes, approached Ozturk, handcuffed and arrested her.
“It looked like a kidnapping,” the owner of the CCTV camera that caught the arrest said, adding that the officials had arrived in an unmarked vehicle, according to Al Jazeera.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said authorities arrested Ozturk because she had "engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans".
Authorities did not clarify which activities led to Ozturk’s arrest but she had co-authored an opinion piece in the school’s newspaper, calling for the university to divest from companies supporting Israel and to acknowledge Israel’s genocide of Palestinian people.
In a statement, Tufts University said it had no prior knowledge of the arrest and was informed the US had revoked Ozturk’s visa, which meant she was facing deportation.
After her arrest, Ozturk was moved to a detention center in Louisiana despite a Massachusetts judge stopping immigration authorities from transferring her without at least 48 hours notice.
On Friday, a federal judge temporarily banned the US from deporting Ozturk.
Ozturk’s arrest is one of many in recent days as the Trump administration cracks down on international students who have shown their support for Palestine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said about 300 foreign students are facing deportation for attending or voicing Pro-Palestine views.
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