The top Democrats are calling for the release of Tufts graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk and have written to Trump administration officials demanding answers surrounding the “deeply troubling” incident.
In a message to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Christa Noem and Ice Director Todd Lyons, Secretary of Homeland Security, lawmakers said this week's arrest of Ozteruk in Massachusetts “seems to be one of the latest examples of a string of ice arrests for university students with valid green cards and visas for political views.”
“These are very troubling cases. The administration should not immediately detain and deport the legal residents of this country just to express political views,” wrote Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and members of the team.
“We are seeking Ozturk's release and the recovery of her visa as there is no compelling evidence to justify her detention and revocation of her status,” they added.
The video shows the arrest of a Tufts University student who is allegedly supporting Hamas
Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old doctoral student at Tufts University, is being held custody by a Department of Homeland Security agents on the streets of Summerville, Massachusetts on Tuesday, March 25th. (AP)
Democrats then asked ICE to answer many questions by April 4th.
- “Why did DHS officials arrest Oztalk?”
- “What is the DHS/ICE policy during the arrest?
- “Does the DHS or other institutions compile relevant documents for university students involved in Palestinian-related protests?”
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A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News on Wednesday that Ozturk was “recognised the privilege of being in this country on a visa,” and that “DHS and the ice investigations have found that Ozturk is engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that prevents the killing of Americans.”
“Visa is a privilege not a right. To praise and support terrorists who kill Americans is that the basis for issuing a visa will be fired,” the spokesman said. “This is common sense security.”
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A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News on Wednesday that Ozturk was “recognised the privilege of being in this country on a visa,” and that “DHS and the ice investigations have found that Ozturk is engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that prevents the killing of Americans.” (AP)
The legal team representing Ozturk told Fox News that he had valid F-1 visa status for Fox News before being arrested in a city just north of Boston on Tuesday.
Democrats in a letter called “intrusion” of Oztzurku's arrest and detention.
“The rationale for this arrest appears to be the expression of her political views. We are seeking a full due process in this case and answering the case and the ICE policies that led to the identification and arrest of university students with valid legal status,” they said.
Protesters gather during demonstrations against the detention of Turkish nationals and Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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“Ozturk is one of the four authors of OP-ED in Tufts' student papers, and has been approved by 32 other Tufts graduate students and called for meaningful involvement and realisation with the Israeli-Palestine-related resolutions passed by the university's student senators in 2024.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin, Alexis McAdams and Bilmelgin contributed to this report.
