US Crackdown: Detentions, Deportations of Pro-Palestinian Protesters
Several individuals, including students and scholars with connections to American universities, are detained or face deportation in the ongoing immigration crackdown
Several individuals, including students and scholars with connections to American universities, have been detained or face deportation in the ongoing immigration crackdown. Most of those detained have ties to pro-Palestinian causes, leading to accusations of supporting Hamas. The crackdown has sparked controversy and legal challenges from the affected individuals and their lawyers.
Rumeysa Ozturk
Federal officers detained 30-year-old Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk on Tuesday as she walked along a street in suburban Boston. A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated, without providing evidence, that Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, "engaged in activities in support of Hamas." Ozturk’s only known activism was co-authoring an op-ed that called for Tufts University to cut ties with Israel. She has been taken to an ICE detention center in Louisiana. A U.S. District judge has ordered the government to explain her detention by Friday.
Mahmoud Khalil
Immigration enforcement agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and Palestinian activist, who was involved in protests at Columbia University last year. The Trump administration revoked Khalil’s green card, alleging that his participation in campus protests amounted to antisemitic support for Hamas. Khalil, a U.S. resident born in Syria, is fighting deportation.
Yunseo Chung
Yunseo Chung, a student at Columbia University, was arrested during a sit-in protest at Barnard College against the expulsion of pro-Palestinian students. The Department of Homeland Security is seeking her deportation, citing her arrest on a misdemeanor charge as evidence of “concerning conduct.” However, a judge has ordered that Chung not be detained while her legal challenge is pending.
Badar Khan Suri
Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown scholar from India, was arrested outside his Virginia home by Homeland Security agents on allegations of spreading Hamas propaganda. Suri’s lawyer claims he was targeted because of his social media posts and his wife’s identity as a Palestinian. Suri is being held in a Louisiana detention facility, and his lawyers are seeking his immediate release.
Leqaa Kordia
Leqaa Kordia, a resident of Newark, New Jersey, was detained after being accused of overstaying her student visa and participating in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. Kordia is being held in an immigration detention center in Alvarado, Texas.
Ranjani Srinivasan
Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian citizen and doctoral student at Columbia University, fled the U.S. after immigration agents attempted to arrest her. The Trump administration revoked Srinivasan’s visa for allegedly advocating for violence and terrorism, accusations she denies. Srinivasan opted to "self-deport" rather than face legal proceedings.
Alireza Doroudi
Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student from Iran at the University of Alabama, was detained after his student visa was revoked in 2023. Despite not being involved in political protests, Doroudi is facing deportation over the revocation of his visa, with the Department of Homeland Security citing national security concerns.
Dr. Rasha Alawieh
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist from Lebanon, was deported despite a court order preventing her removal. Homeland Security officials said Alawieh was deported due to her admission of supporting Hezbollah’s former leader. She was set to start work at Brown University as an assistant professor of medicine.
Momodou Taal
Momodou Taal, a doctoral student at Cornell University, had his visa revoked after participating in campus demonstrations. The government claims his involvement in "disruptive protests" led to the revocation of his student visa. Taal is challenging his detention in court, stating that his protests were an exercise of free speech.
The crackdown has raised concerns about the U.S. government’s stance on activism and free speech, particularly regarding pro-Palestinian movements. Legal challenges are ongoing, with many of those detained fighting deportation and seeking to maintain their rights to remain in the U.S.