In a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the visa of Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk was revoked. On Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and over 30 other senators and representatives of Congress released a letter demanding more information regarding the cause and legality of her detainment.
“If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you’re coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus, we’re not going to give you a visa,” Rubio said at the conference.
Rubio said he encourages other countries to follow this policy of revoking the visas of university students participating in disruptive political movements.
“We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses,” Rubio said.
The letter, addressed to Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, calls for Öztürk’s due process and seeks answers to questions about Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy on identifying and arresting university students who have valid legal status. The revocation of Öztürk’s visa seems to be based on her coauthoring of an op-ed published in the Daily, according to her legal counsel.
“The Administration should not summarily detain and deport legal residents of this country merely for expressing their political views,” the letter states. “Absent compelling evidence justifying her detention and the revocation of her status, we call for Ozturk’s release and the restoration of her visa.”
The letter includes several questions pertaining to specific details of Öztürk’s case, including but not limited to: the specific activities cited for her arrest, the legal authority for the termination of the visa and the reasoning behind why the Department of Homeland Security transported Öztürk to Louisiana. The letter also asks for DHS policy regarding the use of unmarked vehicles and face coverings during arrests.
Congress members asked whether the State Department has updated their policy governing visa revocations, what notice Öztürk received of her visa termination prior to her arrest and when she was first allowed to contact her attorney or a family member.
For an almost 24-hour period following the arrest, Öztürk’s location was unknown, and her lawyer was unable to contact her. ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System did not indicate where Öztürk was being held before later reflecting that she was at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center on Wednesday evening.
The members of Congress have demanded copies of all notices to appear in immigration court in Öztürk’s case. ICE has until Friday to respond to all listed questions pertaining to Öztürk’s arrest, according to the letter.
