Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student who was seized from the streets by plainclothes immigration agents last month, said she has had many asthma attacks, had her headscarf pulled off by a nurse, and has been held in a “unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane” facility in Louisiana.
On March 25, agents from the Department of Homeland Security contacted Öztürk, a 30-year-old Turkish national studying for a Ph.D. under an F-1 visa, as she traveled to meet with friends in Somerville, Massachusetts. Surveillance video shows six plainclothes officers surrounding the student before taking her into custody.
“I asked who they were, and they said they were the police,” Öztürk stated in a declaration filed by her lawyers on Thursday. “I asked for badges, and one flashed me a gold badge so rapidly that I couldn’t discern what it said. But I didn’t assume they were cops because I had never seen cops approach and carry someone away in this manner. I assumed these were folks who had doxxed me and was concerned for my safety. They also didn’t say anything when I questioned why and if they were arresting me.
Öztürk, who previously espoused pro-Palestinian sentiments, was targeted by pro-Israel group Canary Mission, which publishes information online about students and academics who have condemned Israel’s persistent onslaught on Gaza.
She recalled being driven to Vermont and spending the night in a cell with no bed before authorities flew her to Louisiana, where she is now detained.
Öztürk, who has had severe asthma for a few years, reported repeated asthma attacks while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. Öztürk experienced a second asthma episode and required medical attention during her first week in Louisiana, preventing her from going outside.
“I had difficulty breathing and used the emergency inhaler but my breathing didn’t improve,” she told me. “I requested to go to the medical center, and it took them a long time to transport me there. I was quite distressed while waiting since I was unable to breathe properly. I asked them to let me go outdoors to get some fresh air. They declined, but allowed me to wait outside the room in the hallway.”
A nurse at the medical institution allegedly urged Öztürk to remove her headscarf and then ripped it off without her permission.
“After a few minutes I put my [hijab] back on,” stated the woman. “But they did nothing to treat my asthma and gave me a few ibuprofen.”
Öztürk reported two severe asthma attacks during her stay at the facility, attributed to filthy living conditions.
“The air is full of fumes from cleaning supplies and is damp which triggers my asthma,” she informed me. “We don’t receive enough fresh air, which affects my capacity to breathe properly. The circumstances in the facility are filthy, dangerous, and inhumane. There is a mouse inside our cell. They supply filthy garment boxes and insufficient hygiene items.”
Öztürk refused to return to the medical center, although continuing to experience asthma episodes.
Öztürk refused to return to the medical center, although continuing to experience asthma episodes.