Another Muslim student has been detained by US immigration authorities and accused of sympathizing with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) after publishing an opinion article last year in her university newspaper calling for the educational institution to stop funding companies with ties to Israel, as reported by Efe.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish origin student, was pursuing her Ph.D. at Tufts University in Massachusetts and had a valid student visa, according to a statement from her lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, as reported by The New York Times.
In a video circulated on social media, several individuals with covered faces can be seen approaching Ozturk on the street as she was heading to celebrate iftar (breaking the fast during Ramadan) with friends, and without letting her speak, they grab her hands and take her away.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated on X that Ozturk was involved in "support activities for Hamas," although no evidence was provided.
"A visa is a privilege, not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is reason enough to end visa issuance," she pointed out.
According to US media, Ozturk is listed as a co-author of an opinion article published in the Tufts university newspaper criticizing the institution's leaders for their responses to some students' demands to recognize "Palestinian genocide."
"We are unaware of her whereabouts and have been unable to contact her. To our knowledge, no charges have been filed against Rumeysa to date," expressed the student's lawyer in the statement.
Rumeysa Ozturk's name appears in the records of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a facility in Louisiana.
Ozturk's case is reminiscent of Mahmoud Khalil, detained by immigration authorities a few weeks ago in the New York building where he lived with his American wife, owned by Columbia University, where he completed his studies in December.
On that day, authorities informed one of his lawyers that Khalil's permanent residency permit was being revoked.
The Donald Trump administration claims that Khalil has ties to Hamas. The young man was one of the leaders of the pro-Palestinian protests that took place last year at Columbia and spread to other US universities.