Overview

• Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, was detained by ICE on March 25, with her student visa revoked over alleged ties to Hamas, though no charges have been filed.
• A federal judge had ordered Ozturk not to be moved from Massachusetts without 48 hours' notice, but she was transferred to a detention center in Louisiana, raising legal concerns.
• Video footage of her arrest shows masked ICE agents detaining her in what witnesses described as resembling a kidnapping, fueling public outrage.
• Ozturk’s detention follows her public criticism of Tufts’ ties to Israel and her listing on the controversial Canary Mission database, which targets pro-Palestinian activists.
• Protests and legal challenges are growing, with activists, lawmakers, and academic organizations condemning the Trump administration’s actions as unconstitutional and repressive.