Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student who was snatched off the streets by plainclothes immigration officers last month, said she has had multiple asthma attacks, has had her hijab ripped off by a nurse, and has been placed in an “unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane” facility in Louisiana.
Öztürk, a 30-year-old Turkish national, had been studying for a Ph.D. under an F-1 visa when agents from the Department of Homeland Security approached her on March 25 as she went to meet with friends in Somerville, Massachusetts. Surveillance footage shows several plainclothes officers surrounding the student before taking her into custody.
An image from security camera video shows Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old doctoral student at Tufts University, being grabbed off the street by Department of Homeland Security agents. via AP
“I asked who they were, and they said they were the police,” Öztürk said in a declaration filed by her lawyers on Thursday. “I asked them for badges and one showed me a gold badge but it happened so quickly I couldn’t tell what it said. But I didn’t think that they were the police because I had never seen police approach and take someone away like this. I thought they were people who had doxxed me and I was afraid for my safety. They also didn’t respond when I asked why and if they were arresting me.”
Öztürk had previously expressed pro-Palestinian views and was targeted by pro-Israel group Canary Mission, which publishes information online about students and professors who have criticized Israel’s unrelentingattacksonGaza.
She described being driven to Vermont and staying in a cell with no bed for a night before authorities put her on a flight to Louisiana, where she remains in custody.
Öztürk, who has had severe asthma for the past few years, said she had multiple asthma attacks while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. In Louisiana, Öztürk said she wasn’t allowed to go outside for her first full week there and needed medical attention after having a second asthma attack.
“I had difficulty breathing and used the emergency inhaler but my breathing didn’t improve,” she said. “I asked to go to the medical center and it took them a very long time to take me there. While waiting, I was incredibly distressed as I couldn’t breathe well. I asked them to let me outside to get some fresh air. They said no but let me wait outside of the room in the hallway.”
While at the medical center, a nurse allegedly told her to take her hijab off, then ripped it off without Öztürk’s permission.
“After a few minutes I put my [hijab] back on,” she said. “But they did nothing to treat my asthma and gave me a few ibuprofen.”
Rumeysa Ozturk, seen here in a 2021 photo, was moved to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Louisiana. via AP
Öztürk said she had two more severe asthma attacks while at the facility, which she said were triggered by the unsanitary living conditions.
“The air is full of fumes from cleaning supplies and is damp which triggers my asthma,” she said. “We don’t get much fresh air which also impacts my ability to breathe well. The conditions in the facility are very unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane. There is a mouse in our cell. The boxes they provide for our clothing are very dirty and they don’t give us adequate hygiene supplies.”
Despite still having asthma attacks, Öztürk said she didn’t want to return to the medical center.
“I was in pain and very scared but I didn’t ask to go to the medical center because I don’t feel that they address my medical needs,” she said. “I don’t feel safe at the medical center because of my prior experiences there. They complain when I go there and speak to me in an insulting and condescending manner. They also write information in my medical records that is not accurate. The doctor and nurses there are rude and uncaring.”
Öztürk’s legal counsel has asked the United States District Court for the District of Vermont to release her immediately, or at least return her to Vermont.
In her declaration, Öztürk said she has less than a year to complete her Ph.D., which she has been working on for the past five years.
“I pray everyday for my release so I can go back to my home and community in Somerville,” she said. “I plan to stay with a dear friend for a short while after the ordeal I have been through.”