The recent detention in the United States of a Turkish student, with a visa, from Tufts University by masked agents from the Department of Homeland Security, has generated a new alarm among the immigrant population. The case not only adds to the complaints of many others who have been detained and deported despite having residency or a visa, but it has raised concerns because the apprehensions are being carried out by officials who cover their faces, without a uniform and without officially identified vehicles, leading many to categorize it as a “kidnapping.”
PUBLICIDAD
In the absence of official identification, several concerns arise: How can one tell if the detention is being carried out by legitimate agents or if it is a kidnapping? Could this be exploited by criminals pretending to be officials?
PUBLICIDAD
According to The Associated Press (AP), the Turkish student was arrested around 5:30 pm last Tuesday as she was leaving her home in Somerville. The moment of the apprehension was captured on video by a surveillance camera.
The detainee was identified as 30-year-old Muslim Rumeysa Ozturk. According to the recording, she was approached by six people with their faces covered, who took her phone while she screamed. “Why are you hiding your face?” shouted a man in the distance.
The aforementioned news agency reported that lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai filed a petition before the federal court in Boston. They assert that there is no explanation for Ozturk’s detention, as he had a student visa.
“We are not aware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her. To date, no charges have been filed against Rumeysa to our knowledge,” said lawyer Khanbabai in a statement.
“Kidnapping” of the Turkish student, ICE and connection to Hamas
The AP presented the testimony of Michael Mathis, a software engineer, who managed to record with his surveillance camera the detention of the Turkish student. The man described the incident as “a kidnapping,” emphasizing that an officer should not cover their face, and that they were also in unmarked cars. In his opinion, it is not “public safety, it is intimidation.”
Tufts University President Sunil Kumar reported that the visa of a student had been revoked, although he did not mention the name of Rumeysa Ozturk. They emphasized that prior to the arrest, the university did not provide information about the student. Subsequently, university spokesperson Patrick Collins confirmed that the detained individual was Ozturk, a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
During Wednesday night, the online detainee location system of Immigration and Customs Enforcement located the Turkish student at the ICE Processing Center in Basile, southern Louisiana.
“DHS and Investigations (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) found Ozturk involved in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that enjoys killing Americans. A visa is a privilege, not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is common-sense security,” said the spokesperson to the AP agency.