Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) described the detention of Tufts graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk as “disturbing.”
During an interview on Thursday with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Murphy addressed video footage showing Ozturk, a Turkish national studying on a visa, being taken into custody by six masked officials late Tuesday from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The video depicted six agents surrounding Ozturk while they shouted, handcuffed, and escorted her.
“The footage is quite alarming and this should concern all Americans,” Murphy commented.
Democrats from Connecticut shared their worries that the Trump administration might leverage actions that would create foreign adversaries. Murphy defended Trump’s ability to expel foreigners, asserting that the president already has the authority to remove “individuals who threaten the nation, those involved in criminal acts, or those affiliated with terrorist organizations.”
“He has the legal authority to remove non-citizens from the country under current law,” Murphy added. “So he doesn’t require this additional power.”
Murphy stated that the president seems to be attempting to “place America in a state of conflict,” noting that this law has been invoked only three times in the nation’s history.
“This is wartime authority, and what’s troubling is that the president continues to utilize wartime powers to suspend various parts of the Constitution,” the senator remarked.
He also mentioned that Trump had previously shown interest in insurrection laws, suggesting that the military could assume control over regular law enforcement. Democrats in New England cautioned that Trump might steer the nation toward a “form of quasi-war legislation.”
“You’re witnessing a significant decline along numerous fronts away from democracy and democratic standards,” Murphy told MSNBC.
“And while the footage is unsettling because the president doesn’t require such measures to neutralize threats, it reflects his inclination to place America under a form of quasi-war law that could endanger both green card holders and American citizens,” he noted.
“This is a very alarming period, and all Americans should be concerned about what is happening,” the senator urged.
The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed Ozturk’s detention, citing in a statement to the Associated Press that “we have determined that Ozturk, who endorses Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization which promotes violence against Americans, is engaged in this activity.”
“A visa is a privilege, not an entitlement,” the statement added. “Supporting terrorists who harm Americans provides grounds for revoking visa privileges. This is basic security logic.”
The AP noted that Ozturk was one of four students who penned an Op-Ed in the Tufts student newspaper last year, criticizing the university’s response to calls urging it to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and disassociate from businesses linked to Israel.
This was the sole known instance of Ozturk being involved in “anti-Israel actions,” as reported by the Canary Mission, a controversial group that monitors students perceived as “promoting anti-American sentiments, Israel, and Jewish communities on campuses across North America.”
Friends of Ozturk told the Associated Press last year that she was not actively participating in anti-Israel demonstrations. Her attorney has submitted a petition in federal court in Boston, claiming she was detained without justification.
