US politicians condemn detention of pro-Palestine student activist

US lawmakers are rallying behind Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University doctoral student detained after co-authoring an article supporting Palestinians. The case has sparked accusations of political repression.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley branded Ozturk a “political prisoner”, saying she was “kidnapped in plain sight” and transferred to a Louisiana detention facility.

“Rumeysa was kidnapped in plain sight & sent to Louisiana to be locked in the same detention center Mahmoud Khalil was sent to,” Pressley posted on X. “She’s a peaceful protestor, grad student, & my constituent who has a right to free speech & due process.”

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez demanded Ozturk’s release, slamming the arrest as retaliation for dissent.

“One by one, the Trump admin is going after people for speech they don’t like,” Velazquez wrote. “Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fulbright Scholar, was ambushed on the street for criticising US foreign policy. This isn’t immigration enforcement. It’s political repression.”

The detention fuels growing backlash against crackdowns on pro-Palestinian voices in the US, with critics calling it an assault on academic freedom and free speech.