Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national, was taken into custody near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts. Her lawyer filed a lawsuit in Boston federal court, alleging unlawful detention.
In response, US District Judge Indira Talwani ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) not to transfer Ozturk out of Massachusetts without prior notice and to keep her in the state for at least 48 hours.
Representatives for the US Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The detention comes amid the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, including increased arrests and stricter border controls. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have specifically vowed to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters, accusing them of supporting Hamas, undermining US foreign policy, and promoting antisemitism.
Ozturk, 30, is a Fulbright Scholar pursuing a PhD in Child Study and Human Development at Tufts. She previously studied at Columbia University and last year co-authored an op-ed in *The Tufts Daily* criticizing the university’s response to student demands to divest from companies tied to Israel and recognize the "Palestinian genocide."
According to her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, Ozturk entered the US on an F-1 student visa and was detained while on her way to break her Ramadan fast with friends.
“Based on patterns we’re seeing nationwide, her exercise of free speech appears to have influenced her detention,” Khanbabai said.