The Workers Circle denounces the Trump administration’s abduction of Rumeysa Ozturk, a lawfully present Turkish Ph.D. student and Fulbright Scholar at Tufts, and calls for her immediate release.
March 28, 2025
On Tuesday, masked federal agents abruptly confronted Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts and a Fulbright scholar on the sidewalk, took her phone, and swept her into an unmarked vehicle. They refused to clearly identify themselves, showed no warrant or badges, and did not tell her why she was being arrested. Despite a court order that she remain in Massachusetts, she is being held in Louisiana in violation of the US Constitution’s guarantee of due process. Her student visa has been cancelled.
Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle released this statement:
The Workers Circle denounces the Trump administration’s state-sponsored abduction of Rumeysa Ozturk, a lawfully present Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts and Fulbright Scholar, and calls for her immediate release.
Rumeysa Ozturk was accused of no crime and yet was arrested in broad daylight by masked, plain-clothed federal agents, who took her phone, handcuffed her, whisked her away in an unmarked car, and sent her to a notorious detention center in Louisiana where Mahmoud Khalil, similarly arrested, continues to be incarcerated.
The chilling video captures her sheer terror as she screams out and tries to negotiate with federal agents who did not explain their actions nor show identification.
The U.S. Secretary of State has since revoked her visa apparently for penning an essay in a student newspaper against Israel’s deadly actions in Gaza last year. He further announced that he has revoked the visas of more than 300 other students for similar reasons.
The arrest of Rusemysa Ozturk for exercising her first amendment rights, by plain clothed agents, without due process is as unlawful as it is terrifying. This is an appalling attack on the freedom and rights of Rusemysa, but of every single one of us. Despite a court order that Ozturk remain in Massachusetts, the Trump administration has shipped her to a prison in Louisiana.
We call on Congress and the Courts to speak out and stop the Trump Administration’s flagrant abuse of power and defiance of the court orders and release Ozturk and students like her immediately.
About the Workers Circle
Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2025, the Workers Circle is a national, Jewish social justice organization founded by Eastern European immigrants who came to the United States fleeing autocracy and persecution, and seeking democratic freedoms and economic opportunities. That history drives the organization’s work for an inclusive democracy and social equality today. The Workers Circle’s activism is rooted in 1,000 years of Yiddish culture and tradition. Through strategic and impactful social justice initiatives, vibrant Yiddish language classes and programs, and interactive educational activities, the Workers Circle powers a multigenerational community of activists that is building “a better and more beautiful world for all.” Learn more at www.circle.org.