A Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University has been detained by US Department of Homeland Security agents without explanation, her lawyer told The Associated Press.
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was stopped Tuesday night shortly after leaving her home in Somerville, according to a petition filed in Boston federal court by her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai.
Video footage obtained by The Associated Press shows six persons, their faces covered, confiscating Ozturk’s phone as she protests before being handcuffed. In the video, one of them is heard saying, “We’re the police,” while a bystander questions why their faces are concealed.
Khanbabai stated that Ozturk, a Muslim, had been on her way to meet friends for iftar, the meal breaking the daily Ramadan fast.
“We have no information about her whereabouts and have been unable to contact her,” Khanbabai said, adding that Ozturk holds a valid student visa and, to their knowledge, has not been charged with any crime.
The arrest, which occurred around 5:30 pm in a residential neighbourhood, left local residents shaken.
“It looked like a kidnapping,” said Michael Mathis, a software engineer whose security camera captured the scene. “They grabbed her with their faces covered, in unmarked vehicles.”
Tufts University President Sunil Kumar stated that the school was unaware of the incident beforehand and had not provided any information to federal authorities. The university later confirmed that Ozturk’s student visa had been revoked.
Democratic US Rep Ayanna Pressley called it a “horrifying violation” of Ozturk’s constitutional rights, demanding her immediate release.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell also condemned the incident, calling the video “disturbing” and suggesting that Ozturk was targeted due to her political views.
“This isn’t public safety—it’s intimidation,” Campbell said, vowing to scrutinise the case in court.
