MEDFORD, Mass. — A Tufts University graduate student is in federal custody, detained by federal authorities outside of an off-campus apartment building in Somerville Tuesday night.
Rumeysa Ozturk is petitioning the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts for a writ of habeas corpus.
The petition states that Ozturk, a Somerville resident, is a Turkish national with a valid F-1 student status and that she was unlawfully detained by DHS on Tuesday, March 25. She is asking the court to vindicate her constitutional rights, find she was unlawfully detained, and order her release.
Video obtained by Boston 25 News shows she was detained near her residence by ICE agents around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said:
“Rumeysa Ozturk is a Turkish national and Tufts University graduate student, granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa. DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans. A visa is a privilege not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security.”
“ICE kidnapped our neighbor.” Neighbors posts signs, leave flowers near spot where Tufts international grad student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained. DHS says Ozturk engaged in activities in support of “foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans” #Boston25 pic.twitter.com/xH9AwrP70P
— Drew Karedes (@DrewKaredes) March 26, 2025
Tufts University confirms she is a PhD student in the Graduate School of Arts And Sciences.
They’re asking that the US District Court assume jurisdiction over this matter and order that Ozturk not be transferred outside the District of Massachusetts and declare the detention violates the due process clause of the 5th Amendment.
They want top officials with the Department of Homeland Security to show cause why the petition should no be granted within three days.
Tufts University said they were told the student’s visa has been terminated but they are trying to confirm if that is true.
They also said in a letter to the community that they had no pre-knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with ICE prior to the event.
Tuft’s President Sunil Kumar added, “We realize that tonight’s news will be distressing to some members of our community, particularly the members of our international community. We will continue to provide information, support, and resources in the days ahead as more details become available to us. While we await further information, we want to remind the members of our community that the university has an established protocol for responding to government agents who arrive on campus (or off-campus), for an unannounced site visit. To activate that protocol, it is best to call the Tufts University Police Department at 617-627-3030 and inform the dispatcher, who will notify the appropriate university officials.”
There’s also available resources for students including the International Center and the University Chaplaincy for additional support.
Students rallied on behalf of Rumeysa Ozturk Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. at Powder House Square Park.
DHS spokesperson says Tufts PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas” & that “glorifying & supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated”. Posted flyers provide hotline to protect immigrants from ICE #Boston25 pic.twitter.com/0JkhYYn5HQ
— Drew Karedes (@DrewKaredes) March 26, 2025
They said neighbors reported seeing unmarked cars surveilling the location for two days before grabbing Ozturk on the street Tuesday, and don’t know where she’s detained.
They also indicate her involvement in pro-Palestine activism on campus.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s Office is investigating, calling Ozturk’s detention “disturbing.” Campbell said in part, “based on what we now know, it is alarming that the federal administration chose to ambush and detain her, apparently targeting a law-abiding individual because of her political views. This isn’t public safety, it’s intimidation that will, and should, be closely scrutinized in court.”
In an op-ed written last year, Ozturk demanded the university acknowledge the Palestinian genocide and disclose and divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne expressed her concern about Ozturk’s detention.
“I am deeply concerned to see a student with legal status detained for what appears to be the exercise of free speech,” she said. “Rumeysa Ozturk has a First Amendment right to free speech and a right to due process and that must be upheld, just as all immigration detainees have rights that must be respected without exception if we are to be a nation that follows the rule of law and values our constitutional freedoms and liberties.”
In the last week, ICE said immigration operations have resulted in 370 arrests in our area.
President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said Tuesday that more than 100 of the arrests were “collaterals” rather than wanted criminals.
According to the National Immigrant Justice Center, collateral arrests are done without warrants or probable cause.
Homan described the majority of people arrested during the operation as “significant criminals.”
Boston 25 News has reached out to ICE regarding the detainment of the Tufts graduate student.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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