Turkish Tufts Grad Student Leaves U.S. After DHS Visa Revocation Fight
A Turkish graduate student at Tufts University left the United States after a legal fight with the Department of Homeland Security over a revoked visa. Fox News reported the student had co-authored an anti-Israel op-ed at Tufts, which led DHS to move to cancel the student's visa. After contesting the action in court, the student ultimately self-reported to immigration officials and left the country.
The news account did not identify the student or provide detailed court rulings, leaving limited public detail about the legal basis for revocation. The episode highlights tensions between campus political expression and immigration enforcement, though the report did not include broader statistics on how often visa actions follow political speech.
đ Key Facts
- Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Tufts graduate student on an F-1 visa, was detained by ICE in March 2025 after DHS revoked her visa.
- She has now left the U.S. on a flight to Istanbul, describing the move as returning home on her own timeline after completing her Ph.D.
- The Trump administration, via DOJ and Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements, portrays her departure as the intended outcome of a broader crackdown on foreign students tied to pro-Palestinian activism.
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