Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, has returned home to Turkey following a legal settlement with United States authorities. Her student visa was revoked in 2024 after she co-authored an op-ed calling for divestment from companies tied to Israel. She was detained for six weeks in 2025 before being released.
Ozturk's visa cancellation stemmed from alleged activities in support of Hamas, according to officials. In March 2025, ICE agents arrested her on a street in Somerville, Massachusetts, while she pursued a PhD in child study and human development. A judge ordered her release after six weeks in custody, though the government appealed the decision. The case ended in a settlement allowing her return without further Department of Homeland Security interference, as stated by the ACLU after she completed her degree. The student described her detention as state-imposed violence for co-signing an op-ed advocating Palestinian rights. > The time stolen from me by the U.S. government belongs not just to me, but to the children and youth I have dedicated my life to advocating for. With them in mind, I am choosing to return home as planned to continue my career as a woman scholar without losing more time to the state-imposed violence and hostility I have experienced in the United States – all for nothing more than co-signing an op-ed advocating for Palestinian rights. Esha Bhandari of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project said Ozturk should never have been detained for expressing her opinions in a country that protects freedom of speech. A Justice Department official welcomed the resolution, stating to Politico that attending U.S. elite universities is a privilege for foreign students who respect laws, and the department will seek deportation for those engaging in antisemitism or illegal behavior. The case highlighted the Trump administration's push against anti-Israel activism on campuses. As of early 2026, the State Department has revoked over 100,000 visas, including about 8,000 student visas.
