Turkish academic faces US deportation over participation in pro-Palestine event

A Turkish academic, working as a research assistant at Tufts University and a graduate of Columbia University’s Teachers College, has been detained by US authorities for joining pro-Palestine demonstrations.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials revealed that Rumeysa Ozturk would be deported, intensifying concerns over the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on students protesting Israel's war on Gaza.

Ozturk had co-authored an article in Tufts Daily, arguing that Israel’s military actions in Gaza constituted “genocide” under international law.

She also defended students’ right to protest, condemning universities for restricting pro-Palestine demonstrations.

Reports suggest that she was ambushed by ICE on her way to an Iftar, a fast-breaking occasion, with friends after leaving her apartment.