Unsealed court documents suggest Trump admin detained Tufts student for writing op-ed critical of Israel

Newly unsealed court documents show the Trump administration did not have evidence that Tufts University PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk was supporting terrorist activity when she was arrested and her visa was revoked, and the action was taken because of an opinion article she wrote that contained criticisms of Israel.

The documents, related to legal cases of students whose visas were revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and who were threatened with deportation last year, also show the administration found it difficult to find evidence to support the revocation of Öztürk’s visa.

In most of the cases, including that of student activist Mahmoud Khalil, the documents show the administration made its recommendations to revoke visas based on the students’ involvement in protests criticizing Israel’s war in Gaza, despite arguments from the administration of antisemitism and support for terrorism. The administration also acknowledged it would likely face scrutiny in court given the protections granted by the First Amendment.

The New York Times was first to report on the unsealed documents.

Last March, Rubio posted on X that they “will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”

That same month, Öztürk was detained by a plain-clothed police officer outside her home. The administration sought to deport her after revoking her student visa. The Tufts PhD student had written an opinion piece, along with three other students, criticizing the university’s response to student activists who demanded that Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide,” disclose its investments and divest from companies with ties to Israel.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/politics/court-documents-student-israel-op-ed




All this is only making (real) anti-semitism worse. 

My wife got targeted last night. She's an antique reseller with an online store and was updating prices of old inventory. She had a couple of Star of David jewelry pieces listed from around the turn of the 19th century and updating the prices (since sterling silver prices are skyrocketing along with gold) bumped them back into search algorithms I guess. Not an hour later she was receiving threatening messages including nonsense like go to Epstein island among slurs and other foul language.

She reported the hate messages, blocked the idiots, and delisted the items. They were listed since 2013, not worth making a stand for. But she rightly said, Jewish people just can't catch a break. Either prosecuted or indoctrinated / conflated with the actions of Zionist fanatics. Judiasm != Zionism. Definitely not what Zionism has turned into.

She can't list some native American jewelry either since they contain the Swastika ("whirling log" (tsil no'oli) by the Navajo or a symbol for the "four winds") as well as Hindu pieces containing the Swastika (Surya) meaning "conducive to well-being" or "good fortune", and the left facing version "sauvastika" (卍) is better avoided as well thanks to the Nazi party's Hakenkreuz. And now it looks like the Star of David is facing the same cultural appropriation by the the Neo Zionists of Israel and of course the Israeli flag.

It seems Christian jewelry is still safe, for now. At least no genocidal country has put the catholic cross on their flag. The Dominican Republic has a small cross on their flag but not known for colonial genocide (although Haitians probably disagree, see Trujillo) 

At least the Russians were original with the Hammer and Sickle design.

Gaza: Palestinians living along the 'Yellow Line' endure daily Israeli attacks

Every night, Hamed drifts off to sleep knowing the explosions and gunfire from Israeli forces will likely jolt him awake several times. He lives along the Israeli-imposed demarcation zone known as the "Yellow Line", where Israeli ceasefire violations have become routine.

"The explosions wake people up every day," the Palestinian man, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, told Middle East Eye. "We also hear bullets whistling overhead. The shooting doesn't stop all night".

Hamed, from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said the gunfire usually begins in the evening and continues until dawn, punctuated by the deafening blasts of homes being demolished beyond the line.

On one occasion, he narrowly escaped death when a bullet struck his home. "Thankfully, it hit the wall. If it had gone through the plastic tarp, one of us would certainly have been hit".

Since the ceasefire was signed in October, Israeli forces have repeatedly violated it through numerous air strikes, shootings, home demolitions and detentions.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces have killed at least 591 people since the truce began four months ago. Many of the killings have occurred near the so-called Yellow Line.

The line stretches across northern, eastern and southern Gaza. It was established under the ceasefire agreement as a temporary withdrawal boundary. Israeli troops remain stationed behind it, controlling up to 58 percent of the territory, pending the next phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, which envisages further Israeli withdrawal.

On the ground, however, residents say the line has been pushed deeper into Gaza, limiting Palestinians’ access to their homes and vital agricultural lands. The shifting boundary has also triggered repeated displacement, leaving families without a stable shelter.

For Hamed, the danger has been drawing closer in recent weeks. What was once nearly two kilometres away is now less than one. With that shift, the intensity of the fire has increased. "Now we see the tank when it approaches, opens fire and pulls back. It's extremely scary," the 25-year-old said.

The threat, he said, is both physical and psychological. With several of his neighbours having been wounded by gunfire while inside their homes, this has created panic in his family.

"My nieces and nephews always run to my father and mother's lap to hide," he said. "We don't dare go up to the roof to light a fire for cooking or hang out the laundry. We gather in a room that faces west, because the army is to the east, to protect ourselves from the shooting".

'No ceasefire here'

Israeli actions along the Yellow Line and in surrounding areas have been condemned by rights groups.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has said Israel’s approach amounts to the "illegal seizure and systematic plundering of the resources" of occupied territory, in violation of international law.

Hamed's experience is echoed across Gaza, not only in Khan Younis. In al-Bureij in central Gaza, the shifting of the Yellow Line recently triggered a fresh wave of displacement.

Khaled, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, has survived multiple attacks, including the bombing of his home. He regularly visits his uncles, who live close to the boundary. Many residents have already left because of what he described as indiscriminate shooting in the area.

"My uncles had to leave their house. It's now right next to the Yellow Line. The gunfire doesn’t stop in the evening or at night," he said.

He recalled a recent visit to check on the property when shooting suddenly erupted. "We hid in a room facing away from the army’s position, then ran when we had the chance. "It happens regularly. Whenever the shooting starts, people wait for a moment to escape".

In the neighbouring al-Maghazi refugee camp, Houida Salim, a mother of six, says gunfire passes over her home almost daily. "The war never finished," she said. "Whenever we hear the roar of tanks, we feel like we're imprisoned in the house. We can't leave. Their bullets hit the house regularly. There is no ceasefire here".

In her area, the Yellow Line has advanced to less than a kilometre away. "We don't hang clothes out to dry on the roof for fear of being targeted by tanks," Salim said. "Sometimes they use silenced gunfire, which is even worse. The children can't play outside safely".

For Salim, there is nowhere left to seek refuge. Her extended family's home in eastern Deir al-Balah is, she says, even more dangerous. "We have been displaced five times during the war. I don’t have anywhere left to go".

How The Media Helped Mandelson, Epstein & Mossad

This Palestine Report was BLOCKED by Human Rights Watch

In this episode of Mehdi Unfiltered, Mehdi interviews Omar Shakir, the author of a Human Rights Watch report on the right of return for Palestinian refugees — a report the organization declined to publish. Shakir recently resigned from his role as HRW’s Israel and Palestine Director after nearly a decade leading the team.

Watch Shakir and Mehdi discuss changes under Human Rights Watch’s leadership, why the report was shelved leaving Shakir with no choice but to resign, the findings of the report, the reluctance of progressive institutions to endorse Palestinians’ right to return, and ultimately why he believes Israel’s denying of Palestinians’ right of return is, “simply locking in the prior ethnic cleansing of 1948.”

Trump-Netanyahu differences on Iran out in open; meeting ends without agreement



In a dramatic development, US President Donald Trump has publicly acknowledged that he had failed to reach a consensus with Benjamin Netanyahu on the conflict with Iran. This, as Rifat Jawaid explains, is a significant development and shows Trump's unease over future military strikes against Iran.

“Beyond the Pale” – Protesters Slam Albanese for Hosting “War Criminal”

Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in Melbourne as Israeli President Isaac Herzog concludes his Australia visit. Demonstrators gathered outside Flinders Street Station, voicing opposition to the invitation extended after the Bondi attack. Protesters cite Gaza civilian deaths and UN findings, while Herzog warns of rising antisemitism in Australia. For more details, watch our story and subscribe to our channel, DRM News.