The student co-wrote an op-ed in a student newspaper one year ago stating, “Credible accusations against Israel include accounts of deliberate starvation and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians and plausible genocide.” (CNN) This is a link to that op-ed, written in March of 2024 by Rumeysa and three other graduate students. Tufts Daily, March 2024 Op-Ed
CNN reports: This is the sequence of events:
Tuesday night, 3/25, Rumeysa Ozturk was snatched by plainclothes man who were masked, wore sunglasses and surrounded her, grabbing her phone, identifying themselves as police by showing a badge on a lanyard. She shrieked in fear when surrounded. “The masked officers handcuffed Ozturk and held onto each of her arms. One minute after the encounter began, Ozturk was led into an SUV and driven away.”
The international student – who is originally from Turkey and on a valid F-1 student visa – was then driven “across multiple states,” including multiple government offices in New England, Ozturk’s legal team said.
On Wednesday, 3/26, she was flown more than 1,500 miles away from her home to a staging facility in Alexandria, Louisiana. While in transit to Louisiana, Ozturk suffered from an asthma attack, according to an amended habeas corpus petition filed Friday.
She ended up at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana.
Throughout that period of time, Ozturk was not charged or given the opportunity to speak with a lawyer, according to the spokesperson.
Wednesday evening, 3/26 , her attorney is finally allowed to talk to her after over 24 hours of trying to locate her.
On Thursday 3/27, Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, weighs in when asked about Ozturk’s case suggesting without evidence she was involved in disruptive student protests over Israel’s war in Gaza. Rubio “determined” Ozturk’s alleged activities would have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest,” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told CNN Thursday.
On Friday, a federal judge in Boston issued an order to stop Ozturk from being deported. Her Attorney is still trying to get her released, her F-1 Visa reinstated.
ON April 7, Ozturk is set to face an initial hearing in Louisiana, according to the petition.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD student at Tufts University, is the latest student abducted by ICE for her political beliefs.
