Tufts Student Exonerated In High-Profile Antisemitism Investigation

a stucco wall with the word inncent written in green paint, and the word guilty written in red paint

The State Department clears Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk of antisemitism allegations while progressive Jewish organizations rally to her defense against deportation proceedings.

Key Insights

A State Department memo finds no evidence linking Tufts graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk to Hamas or antisemitism despite allegations used to justify her detention.
More than two dozen progressive Jewish organizations filed a brief supporting Ozturk’s release from detention, drawing parallels between her arrest and authoritarian tactics.
Ozturk remains in a Louisiana immigration detention center after being arrested by masked ICE agents near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced her visa revocation specifically citing anti-Israel activism, raising concerns about First Amendment protections.

No Evidence Found to Support Allegations

The U.S. State Department has conducted a thorough investigation into claims that Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk engaged in antisemitic behavior or supported terrorist organizations. According to an internal memo, the department found no credible evidence to substantiate these serious allegations. This revelation directly contradicts the stated reasoning behind Ozturk’s detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the subsequent revocation of her student visa, which left her facing deportation proceedings.

Ozturk, a Turkish national studying at Tufts, was arrested by masked immigration agents near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts. Surveillance footage of the arrest sparked outrage and raised questions about the tactics employed. Following her detention, Ozturk was transferred to a Louisiana immigration detention center where she has remained for over two weeks while legal proceedings continue. The case has drawn significant attention from civil liberties advocates and Jewish organizations concerned about government overreach.

GIFT ARTICLE: A State Department memo said the Trump administration produced no evidence that a Tufts student supported antisemitism or terrorism
The internal memo was prepared days before Rumeysa Ozturk was illegally detained by ICE agentshttps://t.co/7w8Fyx6n4J

— Stuart Falk (@stufalk) April 14, 2025

Jewish Organizations Rally in Support

In a remarkable development, more than two dozen progressive Jewish organizations and congregations have filed a legal brief supporting Ozturk’s release. These groups, including synagogues from West Newton, Massachusetts, San Francisco, and New York’s Upper West Side, along with J-Street, a pro-Israel advocacy group, have voiced opposition to the government’s actions. Their involvement challenges the narrative that Ozturk’s detention serves to combat antisemitism, instead framing it as a threat to civil liberties that should concern all Americans.

The brief filed in federal court in Burlington, Vermont, draws explicit parallels between Ozturk’s arrest and oppressive tactics historically used by authoritarian regimes that many Jewish ancestors fled. In part, the brief says that “Jewish people came to America to escape generations of similar predations.” This perspective adds significant weight to concerns that Ozturk’s detention may represent government overreach rather than legitimate security enforcement. The coalition argues that using deportation as a tool to silence political speech undermines fundamental American values that transcend political divisions.

Academic Freedom and Potential First Amendment Issues

At the heart of Ozturk’s case is an op-ed she co-authored criticizing Tufts University’s response to student resolutions on Palestinian issues. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly linked her visa revocation to what he characterized as anti-Israel activism, stating that foreign nationals who use their visas to participate in certain political activities would face consequences. “‘If you lie to us and get a visa and then enter the United States, and with that visa participate in that sort of activity, we’re going to take away your visa,’ he said. This explicit connection between her political expression and visa revocation has raised serious First Amendment concerns among legal experts.

Ozturk’s attorneys argue that her detention violates both her constitutional rights and First Amendment protections. The State Department’s inability to substantiate claims that she posed any threat or engaged in antisemitic behavior strengthens these arguments. A Boston judge has already ruled that Ozturk cannot be deported until jurisdiction over her arrest is properly determined, with a hearing scheduled in Vermont to address these issues. Meanwhile, Ozturk herself has described poor conditions in the detention facility.

Broader Pattern of Visa Revocations

Ozturk’s case appears to be part of a larger trend affecting international students in the United States. According to the Association of International Educators, nearly 1,000 international students and scholars have lost their legal status since mid-March. These visa revocations frequently occur with little or no notice, and students are rarely informed of their alleged infractions. Those who do not leave voluntarily after losing legal status face deportation proceedings similar to Ozturk’s situation.

In a statement to CBS, Ozturk said,“‘I felt very scared and concerned as the men surrounded me and grabbed my phone from me.’

The State Department has declined to comment directly on Ozturk’s case, citing ongoing litigation. However, the leaked internal memo indicating no evidence of antisemitism or terrorist ties raises serious questions about the basis for her continued detention. As legal proceedings advance, the case may establish important precedents regarding the government’s authority to revoke visas based on political speech and the level of evidence required before taking such consequential actions against foreign students.