Confronted on the Street
On March 25, a 30-year-old Muslim PhD student at Tufts University was aggressively taken off the street by masked ICE agents near her home in Somerville, MA.
Rumeysa Ozturk was approached by ICE agents in plain clothes Tuesday evening as she was on her way to meet some friends to break her fast for Ramadan.
Her phone was taken by one of the agents as she yelled in fear. Passer-byers quickly swarmed the scene.
According to The Guardian, a bystander spoke up and asked, “Is this a kidnapping?” The agents replied that they were the police. The bystander then challenges them and asked why they were hiding their faces if they were the police.
Ozturk was then quickly handcuffed and put into an unmarked police car.
Captured on Camera
The abduction was filmed on a security camera.
Her whereabouts remained unknown for a while. It was later revealed that she had been taken to a Massachusetts detention center, then to New Hampshire, Vermont and finally Louisiana, where she now attempts to challenge her arrest.
Op-Ed Misinterpreted as Extremism
Despite having entered the U.S. on an F-1 student visa, Ozturk was targeted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the basis of an op-ed, also known as a opposite the editorial page, she co-authored with her peers at Tufts, allegedly associating her with Hamas. The article discussed the displaced Palestinian people, but also her own rights as a student.
Following the allegations, a quick review of the article shows that Hamas, terrorism, nor an implication of alliance with the militant group, was mentioned.
The article calls out the university for their dismissive attitude towards the Tufts Community Union Senate that had passed three of four resolutions urging the institution to simply recognize the “plausible [Palestinian] genocide.”
Calling Out University Silence
Contributors of the article state, “These resolutions were the product of meaningful debate by the Senate and represent a sincere effort to hold Israel accountable for clear violations of international law.”
It talks about the political climate surrounding the genocide that the university, which is known for its strength in the discipline of social sciences, dismisses the work of its main student-government body.
A Breakdown of Rights and Power
This incident begs the question: why has this issue been dealt with so inappropriately in a country that prides itself on the concept of checks and balances? When executive authority tries to dismiss legislative efforts, it is a complete disregard for such a foundational concept in the American government.
Ozturk’s fourth amendment rights, among others, have been violated. This is the basic right preventing unreasonable search and seizure, as well as arrest without a warrant. If respected, the ICE agents, as a part of law enforcement, wouldn’t have taken her phone and crowded her personal space.
A Question of Trust and Safety
What would you do if six masked strangers came up to you and told you to get into an unmarked vehicle?
This is what parents warn their children about. How confusing is it that law enforcement agents are dressing and behaving as kidnapping criminals instead?
What if your arrest was based on something your first amendment guarantees? Ozturk exercised this in her op-ed, and was punished for it. It is a clear violation of her, or for that matter, any citizen’s guarantee to freedom of speech and of the press.
Student Activism Under Scrutiny
The most disappointing thing is, that this isn’t the only instance involving the government violating the rights of students, which happened to to have advocated for Palestine or spoke out against the genocide.
Many colleges and universities across the country have seen accounts of the federal government terminating student visas of those involved in political activism, most of them foreign-born and without a given reason.
It is clear as day that this is simply a violation of the “due process” clause guaranteed in the fifth and fourteenth Amendment. How many more breaches of foundational rights can we tolerate?
