Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, was arrested by plainclothes federal agents on a Somerville sidewalk last week.
Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, was arrested by plainclothes federal agents on a Somerville sidewalk last week.
As her lawyers made their arguments in court Thursday, Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts University student detained by ICE agents, made her first public statement, addressing her op-ed that made her a target of the Trump Administration.
Öztürk, who is represented in part by the American Civil Liberties Union, was detained by ICE agents outside an off-campus apartment building in Somerville last Tuesday night.
Öztürk, a former Fulbright Scholar pursuing her PhD in the university’s Child Study and Human Development department, was leaving her apartment to break her Ramadan fast.
“I am a Ph.D. student working with children and youth,” Öztürk said in a statement dictated to her attorney. “We know that injustice in the world and systemic brutality towards people of color has long-lasting negative effects on children, youth, and other communities. My life is committed to choosing peaceful and inclusive ways to meet the needs of children. I believe the world is a more beautiful and peaceful place when we listen to each other and allow different perspectives to be in the room.”
Her lawyer said Öztürk, a Turkish national, was “maintaining valid F-1 status” while at Tufts. The Trump administration has said it revoked her visa for allegedly supporting Hamas, although it has not publicized any evidence to support that claim.
