US immigration authorities arrested a doctoral student named Rumeysa Ozturk at Tufts University near Boston on Tuesday night and canceled her visa. According to Reuters on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, the Turkish citizen was active in the Gaza support movement during the Hamas-Israel conflict.
People close to Ozturk stated that this is the first known case of a pro-Palestinian student activist being detained in the Boston area since Trump’s return to power. The Trump administration has already arrested several foreign students who were legally in the United States and participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
About two weeks ago, the Donald Trump administration announced it would deport foreign students active in the Gaza support movement, accusing them of supporting Hamas violence against Israelis, antisemitism, and disrupting order and security at universities. This action has been widely criticized by human rights activists around the world.
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