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ICE responds to judge’s order as Tufts gives update on detained student
Rumeysa Ozturk is now being detained in Louisiana. A judge had ordered ICE not to relocate her without 48 hours notice, but a federal prosecutor says the order was too late.
Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts University PhD student who was detained by ICE agents Tuesday in Somerville, was already moved to Louisiana by the time a judge ordered her kept in Massachusetts, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Sauter said Thursday.
After Ozturk was arrested on Tuesday evening, District Court Judge Indira Talwani ordered ICE not to move her outside of the state without 48 hours notice to the court.
Ozturk was taken into custody on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m., but the exact timing of Talwani’s order and when Ozturk was moved to Louisiana are unclear. Ozturk’s lawyer filed an “emergency motion to produce” her. A federal judge ordered federal officials to respond by 9 a.m. Thursday, The Boston Globe reported.
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In court documents, Sauter wrote that he “has been informed that [Ozturk] was detained outside of Massachusetts at the time” Talwani’s order was issued, per the Globe.
Tufts officials also gave a brief update Wednesday night on the situation.
Administrators confirmed that Ozturk was taken to a detention center in Louisiana. A lawyer for Ozturk also confirmed her transfer out of state in a statement Wednesday. ICE records show that she is being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in the town of Basile. For most of Wednesday, Ozturk’s location was not known, even to her lawyer.
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Thousands of people attended a rally in support of Ozturk in Somerville Wednesday evening.
Ozturk, a 30-year-old from Turkey, is a Fulbright Scholar who was studying in the Child Study and Human Development department at Tufts. She was “maintaining valid F-1 status,” her lawyer said. But Tufts administrators said they were told that Ozturk’s visa status was terminated.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the Globe that Ozturk “engaged in support of Hamas.” Mahsa Khanbabai, Ozturk’s lawyer, said that she was not aware of any charges against her client.
Ozturk helped author an op-ed that appeared in The Tufts Daily last March where she identified as a “graduate student for Palestine.” The students called for Tufts administrators to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and to “disclose its investments and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.” The op-ed makes no mention of Hamas.
Ozturk was not known as an outspoken protest leader on campus. Why she was targeted by federal agents is unclear.
Multiple videos circulated Wednesday showing the arrest. Masked agents can be seen slowly swarming around Ozturk and moving her into a vehicle with tinted windows.
University officials are in contact with local, state, and federal elected officials. Tufts leaders said that they “hope that Rumeysa is provided the opportunity to avail herself of her due process rights.”
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Administrators acknowledged Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s response to Ozturk’s arrest, agreeing that the footage is “disturbing.” Campbell said that her office is “closely monitoring” the situation and criticized the federal government for choosing to “ambush and detain” a law-abiding person simply because of their political views.
“We recognize how frightening and distressing this situation is for her, her loved ones, and the larger community here at Tufts, especially our international students, staff, and faculty who may be feeling vulnerable or unsettled by these events,” Tufts administrators said in their most recent message to the community.
Tufts leaders also reminded community members that the university “has an established protocol for responding to government officials who arrive on campus for an unannounced site visit.” They said that this protocol also applies to Tufts community members who encounter government officials off campus.
Administrators said that the best way to activate that protocol is to call the Tufts University Police Department at 617-627-3030. The dispatcher would then notify “appropriate university officials, including the Office of University Counsel, [and] the International Center” about the specifics.
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“To the extent possible, and depending on the specifics of each situation, the university will provide relevant guidance, including possibly connecting individuals to external legal and immigration expertise and resources as needed,” Tufts administrators said.
At the rally, which was held in Powder House Square Park, activists publicized a grassroots hotline instead. Trained volunteers staff the hotline from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Anyone who lives or works in Massachusetts that sees ICE activity in their neighborhood is urged to call.
Speakers at the rally said that Ozturk’s arrest was seen by multiple community members and that the hotline was contacted shortly after agents detained her. They said it helped secure a lawyer for Ozturk and rapidly inform the wider community.
Finally, Tufts officials reminded community members that “immigration law requires nonimmigrants and lawful permanent residents to carry proof of immigration registration.” This documentation should be carried “even during domestic travel and when going about daily activities.”
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