The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today commended Tufts University President Sunil Kumar for his decisive support of doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was recently abducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because she co-wrote an editorial calling for her school to divest from the Israeli government.
CAIR calls on university administrators across the country to emulate President Kumar’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of students unjustly targeted for deportation.
In an official statement, President Kumar affirmed the university’s commitment to Ozturk, stating that Tufts had no prior knowledge of the ICE operation and that the university had not provided any information to federal agencies. He also filed a formal declaration supporting her immediate release so that she may resume her academic work. In response to Ozturk’s detention, President Kumar stated: “From what we have been told subsequently, the student’s visa has been terminated, and we seek to confirm whether that information is true.”
Corey Saylor, CAIR’s Research and Advocacy Director remarked: “We commend President Kumar for his principled stand in support of Ms. Ozturk. His leadership exemplifies a steadfast commitment to the values of academic freedom and the well-being of the Tufts community. We urge ICE to release Ms. Ozturk immediately and call upon all educational institutions to protect their students from unjust actions that threaten their safety and academic pursuits.”
Ozturk, a Turkish national and Fulbright scholar pursuing her doctorate in philosophy at Tufts, was surrounded, handcuffed, and taken away by masked ICE agents on March 25, 2025, while on her way to meet friends,her lawyer says she was heading out to an iftar. The incident, captured on security footage, has raised significant concerns regarding the methods employed by ICE and the potential implications for academic freedom and civil liberties.
CAIR remains committed to advocating for the rights of individuals like Ms. Ozturk and calls upon community members and leaders to stand in solidarity against actions that undermine the foundational principles of justice and freedom.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com