NEW YORK: Tufts University on Wednesday publicly backed its student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national detained by federal agents last week as part of US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activism.

In a legal declaration signed by the Massachusetts university’s president Sunil Kumar, Tufts demands that the 30-year-old doctoral candidate be “released without delay so that she can return to complete her studies and finish her degree” at the school.

Video of Ozturk’s arrest by masked agents on a sidewalk has sparked outrage online, and added to concerns about freedom of speech and respect for due process under Trump. Tufts is taking a stand as Trump has targeted prestigious universities that became the epicentre of the US student protest movement sparked by Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza, stripping federal funds and directing immigration officers to deport foreign student demonstrators.

Critics argue that the campaign amounts to retribution and will have a chilling effect on free speech, while its supporters insist it is necessary to restore order to campuses and protect Jewish students.

In its statement, the school asserted that it has “no information to support the allegations that she was engaged in activities at Tufts that warrant her arrest and detention.”

It described Ozturk as “a valued member of the community, dedicated to her academic pursuits and committed to her colleagues,” and said she had received an outpouring of support from students and staff.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2025