Turkish Tufts University Student Ozturk could be in danger from American Zionist Vigilantes

Cliff Notes

• Release from Detention: Ozturk could be in danger from American Zionist vigilantes after the Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, was released from a Louisiana immigration detention centre after six weeks, following a federal judge’s ruling that her detention may have been unlawful.

• Threats to her life: Ozturk could be in danger from American Zionist vigilantes who have been posting hate posts against the Muslim student.

• Impact on Education: Ozturk expressed distress over losing both her freedom and educational opportunities during a pivotal period in her studies, stating she has faith in the legal system as she pursues her case further.

• Background of Arrest: Ozturk’s detention stemmed from her involvement in an opinion piece that criticised Tufts University’s response to activism surrounding Israel and Gaza.

• Wrongful arrest: U.S. immigration authorities cited these protests as potential threats to national interests, although no direct evidence for her arrest was presented during the hearings.

Turkish Tufts University student back in Boston after release from Louisiana detention center

Rumeysa Ozturk returned to Boston on Saturday, one day after her release from a detention centre in Louisiana. She characterised her recent experience as extremely challenging, having lost vital time in her doctoral studies. Upon arrival at Logan Airport, she expressed gratitude for the support received during this difficult time.

Now she faces the reality that American Fascists may take action against her themselves, seeing this as a failing of American justice system.

Accompanied by legal representatives and Massachusetts Congress members, Ozturk noted her determination to continue her educational journey and legal battle, emphasising her hope in the American justice system.

Her detention followed a revocation of her student visa, which her lawyers claim occurred without prior notification. A federal judge’s decision highlighted that no substantial evidence justified her arrest aside from her involvement in the contentious op-ed.

Tufts University student from Turkey, Rumeysa Ozturk, who was arrested by immigration agents while walking along a street in a Boston suburb, talks to reporters on arriving back in Boston, Saturday, May 10, 2025, a day after she was released from a Louisiana immigration detention center on the orders of a federal judge.

A Tufts University student from Turkey returned to Boston on Saturday, one day after being released from a Louisiana immigration detention center where she was held for over six weeks.

Upon arrival at Logan Airport, Rumeysa Ozturk told reporters she was excited to get back to her studies during what has been a “very difficult” period.

“In the last 45 days, I lost both my freedom and also my education during a crucial time for my doctoral studies,” she said. “But I am so grateful for all the support, kindness and care.”

Illegally detained – says Federal Judge

A federal judge ordered Ozturk’s release Friday pending a final decision on her claim that she was illegally detained following an op-ed she co-wrote last year criticizing her university’s response to Israel and the genocide in Gaza.

Ozturk said she will continue her case in the courts, adding, “I have faith in the American system of justice.”

Members of Congress support her release

She was joined by her lawyers and two of Massachusetts’ Democratic members of Congress, Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

“Today is a tremendous day as we welcome you back, Rumeysa,” Markey said. “You have made millions and millions of people across our country so proud of the way you have fought.”

Appearing by video for her bail hearing the previous day, Ozturk, 30, detailed her growing asthma attacks in detention and her desire to finish her doctorate focusing on children and social media.

Released on her own recognizance

U.S. District Judge William Sessions in Vermont ruled that she was to be released on her own recognizance with no travel restrictions. She was not a danger to the community or a flight risk, he said, while noting that he might amend the release order to consider any conditions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in consultation with her lawyers.

Sessions said the government offered no evidence for why Ozturk was arrested other than the op-ed.

U.S. Justice department did not provide any evidence

The U.S. Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review did not respond to an email message seeking comment about the threats to Ozturks safety or any evidence to corroborate their arrest and detention.

Journalism was punished

Ozturk was one of four students who wrote the opinion piece last year in campus newspaper The Tufts Daily. It criticized the university’s response to student activists demanding that Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide,” disclose its investments and divest from companies with ties to Israel.

Her arrest mimics 70s policing in the Bronx

On March 25 US immigration officials violently surrounded Ozturk in Massachusetts and took a scared young girl forcibly into custody. She was then driven to New Hampshire and Vermont and flown to a detention center in Basile, Louisiana.

Her student visa had been revoked several days earlier, but she was not informed of that, her lawyers said.

Ozturk’s lawyers first filed a petition on her behalf in Massachusetts, but they did not know where she was and were unable to speak to her until more than 24 hours after she was detained. A Massachusetts judge later transferred the case to Vermont.

A State Department memo said Ozturk’s visa was revoked following an assessment that her actions “‘may undermine U.S. foreign policy by creating a hostile environment for Jewish students and indicating support for a designated terrorist organization’ including co-authoring an op-ed that found common cause with an organization that was later temporarily banned from campus.” 

However, her op-ed piece did not support or glorify Hamas, it was just in support of the Palestinian people. The State department did not cite any evidence of hate, they simply did the bidding of an Zionist regime.

Ozturk could be in danger from American Zionist Vigilantes

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in March, without providing evidence, that investigations found that Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist group.

Making that link or inference is enough for American vigilantes, especially far-right zionists to take matters into their hands.There has already been a surge in online hate material posted on X and other platforms, where individuals raising Israeli Zionists flags are threatening to take matters into their own hands. This poses a direct threat to Ozturks safety. 

This week a federal appeals court upheld Sessions’ order to bring Ozturk back to New England for hearings to determine whether her constitutional rights, including free speech and due process, were violated, as her lawyers argue.

Immigration proceedings for Ozturk, initiated in Louisiana, are being conducted separately in that state and Ozturk can participate remotely, the court said.

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