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‘We give visa for studies, not for you to become social activists’: US on revoking visa of Turkish student
US government revoked the visa of Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk after she allegedly engaged in activities beyond the scope of her student visa.
Amid visa revocation of students, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday stressed that international students must adhere to the terms of their visas, adding, “If we've given you a visa and then you decide to do that, we're going to take it away.”
The statement came over US government revoking the visa of Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk after she allegedly engaged in activities beyond the scope of her student visa.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday confirmed the move during a joint press conference with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, stating, “We revoked her visa...We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses.”
Turkish student's visa cancelled
Rumeysa Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, was detained by federal agents outside her off-campus apartment in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Tuesday night.
Rumeysa Ozturk now joins a growing list of international students, including Indians, under scrutiny by federal immigration officials.
The 27-year-old, a Muslim, was reportedly on her way to break her Ramadan fast when she was taken into custody. Her lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, expressed concern over her whereabouts, noting that they had been unable to contact her, and no charges had been filed against her.
A Homeland Security spokesperson claimed that Ozturk had "engaged in activities in support of" Hamas, which they said was grounds for terminating her visa. Ozturk has since filed a court petition to challenge her detention's legality.
Late Tuesday, Judge Indira Talwani of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts ordered that Rumeysa Ozturk not be removed from the state without prior notice to the court. It remains unclear whether the government complied with this order.
The incident has raised concerns among the Tufts University community, with President Sunil Kumar acknowledging that the university had no prior knowledge of the detention plans and did not cooperate with federal authorities ahead of time.
Ozturk, who had been involved in campus activism, co-authored an opinion piece in March that criticized Tufts University for its handling of demands related to Palestinian issues.
