Tufts international student Rumeysa Ozturk detained by feds
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Federal agents took Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral candidate at Tufts University, into custody Tuesday night.
Why it matters: Friends and supporters suspect Ozturk is the first Boston-area college student detained by federal agents over pro-Palestinian activism.
Catch up quick: Ozturk was arrested by Department of Homeland Security agents near her home in Somerville, her attorney Mahsa Khanbabai told Axios.
- Ozturk, who is observing Ramadan, was on her way to meet up with friends to break her fast, Khanbabai said.
Between the lines: The detention comes days after a pro-Israel group called the Canary Mission reportedly doxxed Ozturk for anti-Israel activism.
- Reports have pointed to an op-ed in The Tufts Daily in which Ozturk and other students call on the university to "acknowledge the Palestinian genocide" and divest from companies tied to Israel.
State of play: Khanbabai told Axios on Wednesday she didn't know Ozturk's whereabouts and that she hasn't been able to reach Ozturk.
- Khanbabai filed a petition in federal court Tuesday night to ensure Ozturk won't be removed from the District of Massachusetts, which a federal judge approved.
- ICE records showed Wednesday night that Ozturk was being held at the South Louisiana Correctional Center in Basile, Louisiana. It's unclear when she crossed state lines.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Ozturk was "engaged in activities in support of Hamas," but did not explain what those activities were.
- "Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated," the official, who declined to give a name, wrote in a statement. "This is commonsense security."
Zoom out: The Trump administration is increasingly targeting student protesters for their political views on the war in Gaza.
- The most high-profile examples have been the detention of Columbia University alumnus Mahmoud Khalil and student Yunseo Chung.
- A federal judge Tuesday granted a temporary restraining order barring federal immigration officials from detaining Chung, a legal permanent resident who has lived in the country since age 7.
Tufts is one of several colleges facing a federal probe over complaints of antisemitic discrimination due to pro-Palestinian protests.
- Tufts president Sunil Kumar told students and alumni in an email that it had no "pre-knowledge of this incident and did not share any information" with federal agents.
Editor's note: Story has been updated with statements from DHS and information about where Ozturk is being held.