On March 25, Rümeysa Öztürk, a member of the Tufts University community, was detained by the Department of Homeland Security near her apartment in Somerville. The next morning, she was transported to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana. As of the issuance of this statement, a federal judge has transferred Öztürk’s detention case to Vermont.
Though our organizations do not agree on many issues, including the content of Öztürk’s op-ed (Tufts Republicans strongly disagrees with the content of the op-ed in question, while members of Tufts Democrats have expressed varying viewpoints on the matter), we find commonality in our collective belief in the value of free speech and the right of Öztürk to due process under the law outlined by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
Given the silence of President Donald Trump’s administration on the specific reasoning for the revocation of Öztürk’s visa, Tufts Democrats and Tufts Republicans are concerned that the recent actions of the current administration target Öztürk for her speech, which risks creating a chilling effect that discourages open dialogue and intellectual exploration. As student organizations committed to the promotion of free political expression, such actions and the resulting consequences are contrary to the mission statements of our organizations and the core principles of a university.
We, the undersigned:
I. Affirm the shared belief amongst Tufts University Democrats and Tufts University Republicans that Rümeysa Öztürk’s op-ed in The Tufts Daily has not expressed any speech that would be considered a threat to the national security of the United States.
II. Call on the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State to make public any evidence supporting the claim that Öztürk’s actions posed a threat to national security, violated U.S. law or breached the terms of her visa.
III. Express our joint commitment to promoting the values of free speech and expression for all individuals in our campus community and beyond.
Executed on April 8, 2025, at Tufts University.
Zack Zinman and David Seaton, presidents of Tufts Democrats; Ethan Putlack, president of Tufts Republicans; Justin Lokere, vice president and treasurer of Tufts Republicans; Avery Ohliger, director of outreach of Tufts Democrats
