US lawmakers and rights groups have denounced the arrest of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University and Fulbright scholar, following her criticism of Israel, calling it an alarming crackdown on free speech and civil liberties.
Ozturk was taken into custody by masked federal agents in broad daylight, with authorities claiming she engaged in activities supporting the Palestinian resistance group Hamas — an allegation her family and advocates strongly deny.
Michigan Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib slammed the arrest, warning of escalating government repression.
"The Trump administration is abducting people off the streets," Tlaib wrote on Instagram.
"They are starting with people who stand up for Palestinians and human rights…but they won't stop there. Next will be environmental justice and abortion care advocates, those fighting corporate greed, union members, and others resisting Project 2025," she added, referring to the conservative blueprint for a second Trump term.
Senator Elizabeth Warren also criticised the administration's actions, calling them part of a broader assault on fundamental rights.
"This arrest is the latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties," Warren said. "The Trump administration is targeting students with legal status and ripping people out of their communities without due process. This is an attack on our Constitution and basic freedoms—and we will push back."
The Turkish Embassy in Washington says it is closely following the situation regarding Ozturk's detention, adding that all efforts are being made and contacts are being established with the US authorities.
The Trump administration moves to deport a Turkish scholar over her pro-Palestine stance, heightening concerns about free speech and student crackdowns in the country
'Alarming act of repression'
Rights organisations echoed these concerns.
Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Esq., executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Massachusetts chapter (CAIR-MA), called Ozturk's detention an "abduction" and an attack on academic freedom.
"We unequivocally condemn the abduction of a young Muslim hijab-wearing scholar by masked federal agents in broad daylight," Amatul-Wadud said.
"This alarming act of repression is a direct assault on free speech and academic freedom. Massachusetts residents must recognise the dangerous precedent being set—the federal government is resorting to draconian tactics to silence those who speak out against our nation's complicity in Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people. We demand Rumeysa Ozturk's immediate and safe release and full transparency regarding her detention."
Ozturk was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) late Tuesday near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, while heading to an iftar dinner to break her fast during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, according to her lawyer.
Her detention follows a campaign by Canary Mission, a pro-Israel website that blacklists pro-Palestine students and activists. In 2024, Ozturk co-authored an op-ed in Tuft University's newspaper, The Tufts Daily, urging the school to acknowledge what she described as the Palestinian genocide and to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
A viral video captured the moments of Ozturk's detention, showing masked people handcuffing her despite her not resisting.
Crackdown on pro-Palestine students
Ozturk's detention also comes amid the Trump administration's widespread crackdown on pro-Palestinian students and academics.
On March 8, authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist and a student at Columbia University. Trump hailed his arrest and said it was the "first of many."
Trump, without evidence, accused Khalil of supporting Hamas. Khalil denies links to the resistance group.
A few days after Khalil's arrest, Trump's claim came due after another pro-Palestine student, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian researcher at Georgetown University, was arrested. His attorney said he was arrested because of the Palestinian identity of his wife.
After the arrest of Suri, authorities went after another pro-Palestine student, Momodou Taal, asking him to turn himself in.
And on March 25, another pro-Palestine Columbia student, Yunseo Chung, said she sued the Trump admin after authorities made multiple visits to her residence to detain her.
