Extra

In a troubling escalation of state repression, Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by plainclothes ICE agents on March 25, 2025, in Somerville, Massachusetts. Ozturk, a Turkish national, was approached by six masked agents while walking with friends, just before breaking her Ramadan fast. Surveillance footage of the incident has sparked outrage, especially since the university was unaware of her arrest. Authorities later claimed her student visa had been revoked, although her lawyer filed an emergency petition to block her removal. 

Ozturk’s detention follows her vocal support for Palestinian solidarity protests on campus, where she co-wrote an article criticizing Tufts' administration’s handling of Palestinian advocacy. Her arrest is part of a broader pattern of detaining activists, including international students like Iranian doctoral student Alireza Doroudi and immigrant rights activist Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez Zeferino. 

In response, over a thousand demonstrators gathered at Powder House Square in solidarity, demanding an end to the government’s crackdown on immigrant communities and calling for the cessation of U.S. support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. This series of events highlights the growing suppression of dissent and immigrant rights, underscoring the urgent need for action to protect free speech and human rights.