from Hacker News

Trump's Police Are Now Disappearing Students for Their Op-Eds

by areoform on 3/30/25, 12:00 AM with 63 comments

  • by hnburnsy on 3/30/25, 3:19 AM

    For more background here is what Rubio said on Rumeysa Ozturk...

    “We revoked her visa. It’s an F-1 visa, I believe. We revoked it, and here’s why—I’ve said it everywhere, and I’ll say it again.

    Let me be abundantly clear: If you apply for a student visa to come to the United States and you say you’re coming not just to study, but to participate in movements that vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, and cause chaos—we’re not giving you that visa.

    If you lie, get the visa, and then engage in that kind of behavior once you’re here, we’re going to revoke it. And once your visa is revoked, you’re no longer legally in the United States. Like every country, we have the right to remove you. It’s that simple.

    It’s crazy—stupid, even—for any country to let people in who say, ‘I’m going to your universities to riot, take over libraries, and harass people.’ I don’t care what movement you’re with. Why would any country allow that?

    We gave you a visa to study and earn a degree—not to become a social activist tearing up our campuses. If you use your visa to do that, we’ll take it away. And I encourage every country to do the same.

    Every country has the right to decide who enters as a visitor. If you invite me to your house for dinner and I start putting mud on your couch and spray-painting your kitchen, you’re going to kick me out. We’ll do the same if you come to the U.S. and cause a ruckus.

    We don’t want that here. Go do it in your own country—but not in ours.”

  • by geor9e on 3/30/25, 1:30 AM

    "DHS + ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas" — a high ranking government official https://x.com/TriciaOhio/status/1904982944474648587

    Her op-ed never mentioned Hamas by name. This seems to be the closest it came: "systemic changes that the collective voice of the student body is calling for are for the University to end its complicity with Israel insofar as it is oppressing the Palestinian people and denying their right to self-determination" — https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj

    Despite the headline, the author admits they don't actually know that the op-ed was a reason for the arrest — "She was disappeared without due process or explanation — only later did we learn she had been renditioned to a detention center in Louisiana."

  • by phony-account on 3/30/25, 12:53 AM

    This is so utterly frightening. And disturbing to see how quickly stories like this are flagged into invisibility on HN.

    edit: luckily enough people vouched for the story to be rescued.

  • by crtasm on 3/30/25, 12:54 AM

    Update since this was written - she "...cannot be deported without a court order, a US judge ordered on Friday."

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/28/rumeysa-oztu...

  • by marcus0x62 on 3/30/25, 12:58 AM

    As of Friday, district court judge has ruled Ms Ozturk cannot be deported without the approval of the court.

    https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/detained-tufts-student...

  • by iJohnDoe on 3/30/25, 2:36 AM

    Genuine question because I try to avoid all the Trump and DOGE stuff. What’s the deal with all the Canadian and European border events? I thought all the focus was on Mexico and illegal immigrants? Of all things, who cares about Canada and Europe and why all the fuss? Why go through the trouble over these students? Someone actually remembered the student newspaper article they wrote and now have the opportunity to go after them?

    Is it simply because the border agents feel empowered under Trump or is it bigger than that?

  • by tehjoker on 3/30/25, 12:53 AM

  • by beej71 on 3/30/25, 3:12 AM

    Let this be a lesson to any foreigners thinking about visiting the United States.

  • by ranger_danger on 3/30/25, 12:08 AM

    > She was disappeared without due process or explanation

    Then how do you know it was only because of an op-ed?