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A student wrote an op-ed. The government arrested her.

That’s not the plot of a dystopian novel — it’s what happened last week to Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University. ICE agents detained her without access to asthma medication or legal counsel for 24 hours. Her visa was revoked, allegedly for being “engaged in activities in support of Hamas.”

The Department of Homeland Security has not detailed her alleged involvement. What we do know, however, is that Ozturk wrote a March 2024 op-ed advocating for divestment from Israel.

Without any additional evidence suggesting the contrary, we must assume that Ozturk was essentially disappeared for a single op-ed voicing political opinions that do not align with those of the current administration. If that is indeed the case, as an Editorial Board that holds free speech as our central tenet, we condemn this action in the strongest terms.

Opinion pages like that of The Tufts Daily and our own offer space for open, civil discourse — especially for those who face legal and political barriers to other forms of speech. If publishing an op-ed can land a student in a detention center, then the freedoms of the press and speech are not just under threat — they are collapsing.

We’ve seen the effects of Ozturk’s disappearance and Trump’s targeting of international students firsthand. International students have voiced concerns sharing their perspectives in our pages, and requests to take down old articles have ballooned. The effect on speech has been real and immediate.

When even journalistic avenues of expression are targeted, as they were in Ozturk’s case, the message is clear: Dissent will cost you everything. The result is more than a chilled campus — it’s a culture of fear.

And why wouldn’t they be afraid? Our colleagues are under attack. And it’s not their arguments being challenged — it’s their visas. Ozturk’s arrest is the most egregious example of the Trump administration’s targeting and attempted deporting of noncitizen students of color for expressing support for Palestine.

This targeting does not exist in a vacuum. It builds on coordinated efforts to surveil, intimidate, and silence opinions that support Palestine. Some organizations have already worked hard to smear reputations and stoke fear, costing students jobs, safety, and peace of mind. Now, they threaten their legal residency.

After Ozturk published an op-ed in support of divestment from Israel, her name, face, and resume were plastered on one such website. Legal and immigration experts believe the administration might have taken notice.

Trump’s campaign to silence dissent has begun with the targeting of those most vulnerable: international students who support Palestine. If we do not protect their speech, we may soon find our own in jeopardy.

Dean of Students Thomas G. Dunne’s email offering resources for international students was a necessary first step, but at this moment, it is not enough. Harvard must break its silence.

It is not enough to privately support students while remaining publicly neutral in the face of repression. Harvard must call out the Trump administration’s crackdown for what it is: a coordinated assault on higher education, dissent, and civil rights waged through the deployment of ICE and the threat of withdrawing federal funds.

No, a statement won’t change Trump’s mind. But it will clarify Harvard’s own. It will signal that the University’s mission is inseparable from the defense of free expression and civil society. Harvard must also be prepared to defend its students with more than words: Through whatever legal avenues the University has open, the University must protect its international students.

In a world where an op-ed is grounds for deportation, democracy dies a silent death. Harvard must ensure it does not go quietly with it.

This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.

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