U.S. State Department: No Evidence Against Turkish Student Rumeysa Öztürk in Visa Revocation Case
rumeysa ozturk
The U.S. State Department has found no credible evidence that Rumeysa Öztürk, a Turkish Fulbright scholar and PhD student at Tufts University, engaged in antisemitic behavior or had any links to terrorist organizations, according to an internal memo obtained by The Washington Post.
The March memo refutes the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) claims that Öztürk supported Hamas or engaged in violent activism, which the Trump administration had cited as the basis for her detention and attempted visa revocation.
Academic Targeted Over Pro-Palestinian Op-Ed
Öztürk, who studies child and human development at Tufts, was arrested by masked ICE agents outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts in early 2024. Her detention followed an online campaign by the Canary Mission, a pro-Israel site that accused her of extremism due to her co-authorship of a March 2024 op-ed in The Tufts Daily. The article criticized Tufts University’s response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 50,000 Palestinians, according to some reports.
The op-ed called for divestment from companies linked to Israel, a demand DHS cited as “anti-Israel activism” in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
No Criminal Evidence, But Silent Visa Cancellation Was Sought
The DHS memo, signed by senior official Andre Watson, urged Öztürk’s visa be canceled under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows revocation if there are “reasonable grounds” that a person’s presence may pose an adverse policy consequence for the U.S.
However, the State Department’s own assessment concluded that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had no sufficient grounds to revoke her visa. The memo added that Öztürk’s record contained no terrorism-related data in any U.S. intelligence database.
A separate internal document revealed that the visa revocation was intended to be “silent”, meaning Öztürk would not be notified in advance.
ICE Detention Sparks Outrage and Raises Civil Liberties Concerns
A widely circulated viral video captured the moment Öztürk was handcuffed and her phone confiscated by ICE officers, prompting backlash from academic and human rights communities.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on the specifics, citing an ongoing legal process, but said DHS believed Öztürk had committed a crime — though no charges or evidence were made public.
Part of a Broader Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Voices
Öztürk’s case is part of a wider campaign by the Trump administration targeting pro-Palestinian students and academics. Recent detentions also include Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, and Badar Khan Suri, a researcher at Georgetown University.
Critics argue the moves reflect an escalating effort to suppress Palestinian advocacy in U.S. academic institutions, often under the guise of national security.