Rubio: Visa for Study, Not Social Activism: Clashes with Detained Turkish Student's Fate
Washington, DC [ US ], March 29 (ANI): On this date, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio , mentioned that the visa for Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk has been canceled because she participated in activities outside the limits of her student visa.
At a joint press conference with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali in Georgetown, Guyana, Rubio stated, “Her visa was canceled… We granted your visa so you could pursue studies and earn a degree, not to transform into an activist who disrupts our college campuses.”
Rubio emphasised that the US anticipates that international students will follow the conditions of their visas. He emphasized, "Should we provide you with a visa and you choose to go against this agreement, we'll revoke it."
On Tuesday, a graduate student from abroad studying at Tufts University was apprehended by federal authorities near an off-campus residence, as stated by both the university’s president and the student's legal counsel, The New York Times disclosed.
The student, Rumeysa Ozturk , a Turkish national, possessed a legitimate student visa as she was pursuing her doctorate at Tufts, this information was provided in a statement by her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai.
As reported by The New York Times, Ozturk, a Muslim individual, was on her way to have Iftar with some friends on Tuesday evening during Ramadan when she was apprehended by officers from the Department of Homeland Security close to her residence in Somerville, Massachusetts, according to Khanbabai.
"The lawyer stated that they do not know her current location and have been unable to reach her. To their knowledge, no charges have been brought against Rumeysa so far," he added.
According to a statement from a high-ranking spokesperson for Homeland Security on Wednesday, Ozturk was found to have "supported activities" related to Hamas, which serves as grounds for terminating his visa eligibility.
On Tuesday evening, Judge Indira Talwani of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts instructed the government not to transfer Ozturk out of the state without first providing advanced written notification to the court. As of Wednesday morning, it remained uncertain whether the government had submitted such written notice prior to removing Ozturk from Massachusetts.
Ozturk submitted a legal appeal to a judge, requesting them to assess the legality of her detainment. The petition listed Patricia Hyde, who serves as the acting director of the ICE field office in Boston, along with several other agency officials, as defendants, according to The New York Times.
On Tuesday evening, President Sunil Kumar of Tufts sent an email to the university community stating that the administration was unaware of the plans to detain the student beforehand and did not provide any information to federal officials prior to the incident.
"We understand that today’s news may cause concern among certain individuals within our community, especially those from our global constituents," Kumar stated.
Ozturk was among multiple authors who penned an opinion piece published in March in the Tufts University student newspaper. The article took issue with how university leadership handled calls for Tufts to recognize what was described as a Palestinian genocide and to disinvest from enterprises connected to Israel.
She is among multiple students facing potential deportation under the Trump administration’s policies. According to a university statement released on Wednesday, Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian national pursuing his doctorate at the University of Alabama, was apprehended by federal immigration authorities away from campus grounds. The reasons behind this particular targeting remain unclear. US Immigration authorities did not promptly address inquiries on Wednesday night. (ANI)