1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

The detainment of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raises serious concerns about the fair treatment of international students in the United States. According to her lawyer, Ms. Ozturk had a valid student visa and was taken into custody without any charges filed against her. The government claims her visa was terminated due to alleged connections with Hamas, but no evidence has been provided to substantiate these claims. This incident exemplifies the unnecessary targeting and harassment of Palestinian and Muslim students, which creates an unwelcoming and hostile environment for them in American academic institutions. Such actions undermine the principles of academic freedom, diversity, and inclusion that universities strive to uphold. I urge you to take immediate action to ensure due process rights are respected for all international students, regardless of their national origin or religious affiliation. Unfounded detentions and deportations based on discriminatory profiling must be halted, and transparent processes should be established to review any allegations against students before revoking their legal status. The United States must live up to its ideals as a nation that welcomes and nurtures intellectual talent from around the world.