Tufts University is calling for grad student Rumeysa Ozturk to be “released without delay,” as the international student’s legal team continues to fight for her release after ICE agents grabbed her off a Somerville street.

Ozturk, a PhD student and Fulbright Scholar from Turkey who was here on a student visa, was taken into custody last week by ICE agents outside her off-campus apartment. The pro-Palestinian student was then shipped to a Louisiana ICE detention facility.

Ozturk in a past op-ed criticized the university’s administration after the Tufts Senate passed resolutions about the “Palestinian genocide” and divesting from companies with ties to Israel. The Department of Homeland Security said she was arrested because of her alleged “support of Hamas,” but has not provided further information.

As her lawyers call on the court to order that she be immediately returned to Massachusetts and released from custody, the university has filed a declaration in support of a motion from Ozturk’s legal team.

“Based on everything we know and have shared here, the University seeks relief so that Ms. Ozturk is released without delay so that she can return to complete her studies and finish her degree at Tufts University,” Tufts President Sunil Kumar wrote in the declaration on Wednesday.

This contributed photo shows Rumeysa Ozturk on an apple-picking trip in 2021. (AP Photo)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week confirmed that the feds took away Ozturk’s student visa, claiming that she had created a “ruckus” on campus.

The university received a notice that her visa was canceled because the U.S. believed her presence in the country would result in “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”

A Tufts spokesperson has said the op-ed did not violate the university’s policies, and that she’s “in good standing” at the school.

“The University has no information to support the allegations that she was engaged in activities at Tufts that warrant her arrest and detention,” the declaration reads. “The University has seen an outpouring of support for Ms. Ozturk over the last week from Tufts students, faculty and staff. These individuals have described Ms. Ozturk as a valued member of the community, dedicated to her academic pursuits and committed to her colleagues.”

Hundreds of people gather in Somerville, Mass., on March 26, 2025, to demand the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, who was arrested by federal agents Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

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The university sponsors 1,818 continuing international students on F-1 visas, alongside 569 alumni who are pursuing post-completion work authorization in the U.S.

“The University has heard from students, faculty and staff who are forgoing opportunities to speak at international conferences and avoiding or postponing international travel,” the declaration reads. “In the worst cases, many report being fearful of leaving their homes, even to attend and teach classes on campus.”

The next hearing in the case will be on Thursday in Boston federal court.