Washington Post reports State Dept. failed to find evidence tying her to antisemitism or terrorism before she was snatched from the street by masked ICE agents
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today demanded that the Trump administration provide proper medical care for Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk who was snatched from the street by masked ICE agents apparently because she co-wrote an editorial calling for her school to divest from the Israeli government over its genocide in Gaza.
Ozturk has reportedly suffered several asthma attacks while in custody in conditions she describes as “unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane.” There is a hearing today in Vermont on her case.
CAIR also demanded that Ozturk be granted her constitutionally-protected religious rights in detention after she reported that her Islamic headscarf, or hijab, was forcibly removed in detention. A nurse reportedly said: “[Y]ou need to take that thing [hijab] off your head” and removed it without her permission.
These demands come after the Washington Post reports that the State Department failed to find evidence tying Ozturk to antisemitism or terrorism just days before she was detained.
SEE: Tufts University student details poor conditions in ICE detention ahead of Monday hearing – CNN
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“We demand that the Trump administration provide proper medical care for Rumeysa Ozturk, who was snatched from the street by unidentified, masked agents and is now facing insufficient treatment for asthma attacks in a pattern of abuse reminiscent of tactics used by authoritarian regimes, not democracies.
“We also demand that she be granted her full constitutionally-protected religious rights in detention, including the right to wear hijab. Her continued detention, despite new reports that the State Department, prior to her arrest, found no evidence linking her to antisemitism or terrorism, is unjust and reflects an authoritarian trend we unfortunately witnessed in recent months. The draconian government crackdown on those speaking out against Israel’s genocide must end.”
BACKGROUNDER:
Last month, CAIR’s Massachusetts chapter condemned the abduction of Ozturk by federal immigration authorities. Video provided by neighbors appears to show Ozturk being seized by federal agents after leaving her home, handcuffed, and driven away to an unknown location. CAIR also commended Tufts University President Sunil Kumar for his decisive support of Ozturk.
Ozturk, a Turkish national, is a PhD student and doctoral research assistant at Tufts’ Children’s Television Project and completed a master’s degree at Columbia University as a Fulbright Scholar. It is unclear why her visa may have been revoked, but she was one of several authors of a 2024 opinion essay published in the Tufts student newspaper criticizing university leaders for their response to the Gaza genocide and urging divestment from companies with ties to Israel.
In March, CAIR’s New York chapter (CAIR-NY), CAIR’s national office and the law firm of Dratel & Lewis announced the filing of a federal lawsuit on behalf of Columbia University students against Columbia University and the Committee on Education and Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives regarding the Congressional request to disclose thousands of student records.
The California chapter of CAIR, along with the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC), and more than 120 organizations representing community organizers, labor unions, social and legal service providers, faith leaders, and immigration and civil rights organizations, announced a joint letter to more than 50 California legislators urging them to take action regarding the unjust arrests of Columbia anti-genocide activists Mahmoud Khalil and Yunseo Chung.
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CONTACT: CONTACT: Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Esq., Executive Director of CAIR-MA, tamatul-wadud@cair.com, 617-862-9159; 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