A federal judge has thwarted the Trump administration’s plan to arrest a PhD student from Tufts University who is accused of supporting Hamas.
ICE officers in Boston detained Turkey national Rumeysa Ozturk on Tuesday, making her way there on foot. She was clearly shocked as agents took her cellphone while dressed in plainclothes following the popular occurrence.
She was eventually taken to a service in Louisiana.
But, former US President Barack Obama appointed judge Denise Casper, who ruled that Ozturk may be deported while the judge determines whether it has control over her situation. Judge Casper “exerced her power to preserve existing circumstances” while the legal process is ongoing, according to court documents.
Ozturk was accused of supporting Hamas by the department of homeland security, but it has not yet provided any proof to back up the state.
The Coral Mission Database, a pro-Israel advocate group that tracks people deemed anti-Israel, had Ozturk’s brand in its database. According to the New York Post, the group labeled her as a Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions ( BDS ) supporter.
On March 26, 2024, Ozturk co-authored an opinion part for The Tufts Daily, which criticized school officials for their management of anti-Israel rallies and demanded that the school cut ties with businesses connected to Israel.
Similar imprisonment cases involving kids from Georgetown University and Columbia University are currently pending in Virginia and New York federal authorities.
