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by Guy Page
A Turkish student at Tufts University was detained by federal authorities last month and then was moved through Vermont en route to a Louisiana detainment facility, according to media reports.
Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week, and was eventually brought to the St. Albans ICE office, then flown out of state from Burlington International Airport, according to federal documents revealed in media reports.
At his press conference today, Gov. Phil Scott was asked whether Vermont could, or should, try to prevent federal authorities from using Vermont as a venue for processing students detained for speaking out in support of Palestinians and, the federal government says, terrorist group Hamas. Scott said he found the action deplorable.
“We should be ashamed that it has come to this level. This person should be allowed to do that. It [speaking out] is a constitutional right,” Scott said.
Scott noted that Sen. Leahy fought to have the office located in Vermont and that there’s not much the State of Vermont could do.
Federal authorities disagreed. “Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security,” said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on her X page. At least 29 Americans died in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Ozturk co-authored a March 26 article in the Tufts Daily student newspaper that included the following:
“On March 4, the Tufts Community Union Senate passed 3 out of 4 resolutions demanding that the University acknowledge the Palestinian genocide, apologize for University President Sunil Kumar’s statements, disclose its investments and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel. These resolutions were the product of meaningful debate by the Senate and represent a sincere effort to hold Israel accountable for clear violations of international law. Credible accusations against Israel include accounts of deliberate starvation and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians and plausible genocide.”
According to Wikipedia, on March 27, 30-year old Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk was detained by 6 plainclothed agents of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts and driven off in an unmarked car. Reportedly, she was transported to an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration detention center in Louisiana.
“Ozturk is a Turkish citizen who entered the USA on an F-1 student visa to study human development. She was responsible for co-authoring an article in The Tufts Daily, a student newspaper of Tufts University. The article criticized the university’s response to the pro-Palestinian movement and Israel’s alleged genocide in Gaza, it was written by four students and endorsed by 32 others. Öztürk’s fellow students believe that she was targeted for contributing to this article. After her detainment, ICE released a statement, accusing her of engaging in activities in support of Hamas. DHS later confirmed that her student visa was terminated,” Wikipedia states.
The following quotes from Homeland Security are excerpted from a Jewish News Syndicate article:
Ozturk was “granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa,” a senior spokesperson at the department told JNS. “A visa is a privilege not a right.”
“Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated,” the spokesperson added. “This is common sense security.”
Ozturk’s arrest comes as the Trump administration seeks to detain and deport those on student visas partaking in “antisemitic, anti-American activity,” as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order to combat antisemitism.
“We are unaware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her,” her attorney stated. “No charges have been filed against Rumeysa to date that we are aware of.”
A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ordered that Ozturk remain in the state without advance written notice from the government to the court. Someone with Ozturk’s name, who was born in Turkey, is in custody at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, La., per the ICE website.
Video circulating on social media appeared to show multiple plainclothes officers, some with badges displayed, arresting a woman in a white coat and pinkish head covering. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, posted a screenshot of the video.
Stop Antisemitism wrote that Ozturk, after graduating from Columbia University, “led pro-Hamas, violent antisemitic and anti-American events as a Ph.D. student at Tufts.”
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Categories: National News
Absolutely, they are here to study, not to be activists. If they want to be an activist let them do so in their own country. They have no constitutional rights here. I absolutely approve of ice ridding America or agitators.
Agreed. Like many here on the various Visa types and even Permanent Resident Aliens, they obviously failed to read the contract before signing… The status of a Student Visa is extremely limited in scope and allowed activities circumscribed in some detail. NO THEY ARE NOT POSESSED OF ALL THS RIGHTS OF CITIZENS. And it should be noted those who live up to these expectations have legitimate option at applying for citizenship.
Bye Bye!
As usual, this vermonter finds himself at odds with the so called most favorable governor in the country.
You may want to look at some of the statements Bernie Sanders has made. Anyone who is supporting genocide of any group of people are showing their true colors.
Re: “We should be ashamed that it has come to this level. This person should be allowed to do that. It [speaking out] is a constitutional right,” Scott said.
King Philip the Scott 1st Eunuch King of Castrati you are the one that should be ashamed. Why do you call yourself a Republican when we all know you are a Progressive in sheep’s clothing.
the media missed an opportunity to ask the guv about the american hostages in gaza
The media also missed the opportunity to remind Gov. Scott that he has no authority over U.S. Federal Immigration Laws.
The U.S. Constitution delegated Immigration for all the U.S. to the U.S. Federal Government. Gov. Scott and the rest of Vermont’s Elected Officials need to brush up on the U.S. Constitution.
We can only hope Trump’s Homeland Security will get around to sending Federal U.S. Ice Agents to exercise their Constitutional Authority; to enforce true justice in the rebellious, sanctuary State of Vermont.
Our Vermont State Elected Officials are violating their Oaths of Office as they betray the Vermont Citizenry/Taxpayers; working against U.S. Federal Immigration Laws; cooperating with the harboring of illegal immigrants; passing on the expense to Vermont Taxpayers.
Hypocrisy and treason. Leaders, who swore to an oath to defend and protect American’s safety, soverignty, and wellbeing are pandering, dithering, and flip-flopping to support and defend foreigners over actual laboring, taxpaying, legal and natural born citizens of the United States.
The gaslighting of Americans is off the hook and it is dispicible. Our government has deemed us all racist against anybody – take your pick, it’s all a lie and nefarious in nature. Divide and conquer that is all they know how to do now. It is their strategy, and it is all by design to distract us from the fact that our country is woefully corrupt, financially and morally bankrupt. An installed, belligerent regime of crooks and complicit, unethical, unprincipled charlatans. They are the racists, the annihilists, the thieves and the reprobates. When the majority realizes that fact, perhaps we can save our Republic or continue to watch it burn and implode before our eyes.
I’d like to give you all another bit of pertinent info. concerning the possibility of pro-Palestinian influencers currently in Vermont’s public schools. Here is an email that I sent to Governor Scott and many others. Governor Scott has yet to reply. But I received a personal call on Monday from Lt Governor Rodgers and 2 emails from James Elhers , Rodgers’ chief of Staff
———————————————————————
An issue has come to my attention that I, and many other Vermonters, feel needs further investigation..
Outright Vermont- an organization which works in our public schools and is funded by the Vermont AOE- has joined forces with Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation signing their Apartheid Free Community Pledge (attachment included)
Furthermore, Outright’s executive director, Dana Kaplan, in a 10/24 article published on the Outright Vermont website entitled “Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth Activism”, proudly states, “and at this moment we see youth -from elementary to graduate school age -across the country leading protest calling for a cease-fire in Palestine.”
In the FAQ’s portion of the attachment below, the question, WHY IS THIS A LOCAL ISSUE, was asked. The reply from Vermont Coalition for Palestine Liberation, contained statements such as: “ the state of Vermont gives $6 million a year to fund Israeli weaponry”, and “The Vermont Air National Guard,…….These are the same aircraft given to and being used by Israel to flatten Gaza right now.” “…. has the potential to place the United States ever deeper into the war…”
By signing the Apartheid Free Community Pledge, along with their educational opportunities relating to activism throughout their website, Outright Vermont/International have proven themselves to be a political action community, and I fear are capably of pushing hateful partisan views on our public school children.
I have contacted Shalom Alliance Vermont and Vermont Holocaust Memorial. They expressed concerns as well.
Thank you in advance for contemplating my apprehensions concerning this development.
Mrs. Rebecca Pitre
2949 Vermont Rte.109
Waterville, VT 05492
(410)-708-8602
Apartheid Free Community — Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation
http://www.vermontcpl.org
————————————————————————
Lt. Governor Rodgers thanked me and said he agreed that politics should not be a part of public schools. And that he would be contacting the agency of education concerning this.
I’m impressed with and encouraged by Lt. Governor Rodgers’ assessment.
Dana Kaplan’s Bio reads: “In his free time, Dana enjoys playing music with his indie-pop band and getting sassed by his two kids. He is a Jewish New Yorker through and through!”
VTDigger May 30, 2023: “He described how he recognized that he was a white, middle-class person, but going to public school on a bus in the city revealed that there were many others who didn’t look like him. Growing up Jewish, he also was “instilled with a lot of values around leaving things better than you found them and the importance of community service and community engagement.””
VTDigger May 30, 2023: “The political climate and instances of anti-trans actions and policies have put pressure on the community “and, as a result, the organization,” according to Mike Pieciak, Vermont’s state treasurer and a board member at Outright for the past year. “Dana has really risen to the occasion,” Pieciak said.”
The Vermont State Treasurer and a “Jewish, through and through New Yorker,” advocating for what exactly? Grifters gotta grift. Pay no mind to interchanging and mixing causes because what truly matters is how much is being paid to advocate and defend – Any “cause” or “issue” is a lucrative financial opportunity regardless. All that is required is know how to play the game, who’s ego to stroke, and snuggle up close to those deep pockets, tax free.
Always amusing and intriguing to see advocates for any islamic cause allied with any LGBT&%$ cause. An LGBT&*$# advocate waving a rainbow flag wouldn’t last half an hour on the streets of Gaza.
Headline fixed:
Detained 30 year-old pro-Hamas Turkish terrorist routed through Vermont
Tufts Luck!
Give them an inch ,they’ll take a mile, while biting the hand that feeds them.
Bon Voyage!
Y’all don’t come back now, ya hear?
Here is the letter that she co-wrote. I see no mention of support for Hamas and their heinous terrorism against Israel, only opposition to Israel’s systematic killing of Palestinian people. Palestinian civilians are not terrorists, they are just trying to live their lives and stay alive. Expressing support for the Palestinian people is NOT the same as expressing support for Hamas and their despicable actions.
https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj
Unfortunatly most palestinian civilians support Hamas.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/poll-shows-palestinians-back-oct-7-attack-israel-support-hamas-rises-2023-12-14/
Pro Hamas activists share similar qualities: ignorance of the Israel/Hamas Conflict, violent tendencies, closed mindedness, a misplaced belief that they harbor esoteric intelligence, and believe everything they read and think. Also, they are clueless as to the Jewish origins of Judea and Samaria, which was there thousands of years before the Romans renamed the land Palestine.
שלום
Not unlike the editorial staff of both the Burlington Free Press and the Barre Times Argus.
Vermont officials cannot prevent the Feds from exercising their jurisdiction here any more than (democrat) Gov. George Wallace could keep federal officials from enforcing federal civil rights laws in Alabama.
Maybe she did more than simply speak to attract the attention of ICE.