DHS Memo on Öztürk Mirrors Right-Wing Profile of Her
Internal email obtained by the Washington Post uses language strikingly similar to the right-wing site that doxxed her
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An internal government email about detained Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk describes her with phrasing almost identical to language first used by a right-wing website that doxxes critics of the Israeli government.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) email reportedly cites only one piece of evidence against Öztürk, the same one flagged by the website, known as Canary Mission. The parallels suggest that the Trump administration may be relying on politicized intel sources pushing their own agendas.
Canary Mission is shadowy in both its organization and its funding, but has been tied to right-wing Zionist funders and causes. It reportedly has been used by Israeli intelligence to target American critics of the Israeli government.
The Washington Post yesterday reported that a DHS memo apparently written in the past couple months recommended that the State Department strip Öztürk of her visa. The memo read, in part:
“OZTURK engaged in anti-Israel activism in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023…”
Except for a reference to the timeframe of her “activism,” the first sentence of Canary Mission’s page about Öztürk is identical:
The link embedded in the word “engaged” in the first sentence goes to the Tufts Daily op-ed she co-authored1. It’s the only activity cited publicly or privately by the DHS to support the claim that Öztürk engaged in multiple activities “in support of Hamas.”
(Canary Mission lists “BDS” as one of Öztürk’s alleged organizations, but offers no evidence of any affiliation with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement. Her op-ed made no mention of BDS, let alone boycotting or sanctioning Israel.)
The DHS memo obtained by the Post cites at least one quotation from Öztürk’s op-ed that had also been flagged by Canary Mission. The op-ed called on Tufts to “disclose its investments and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel,” both documents noted.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the parallels between its work and Canary Mission’s.
Reportedly, Öztürk became aware of Canary Mission’s page about her in early March. The page itself says it was last updated Feb. 6, 2025.
According to ProPublica, federal immigration officials say that they make their own calls on who to detain. But Canary Mission itself posted just days after Öztürk’s detention that “Sources point to her Canary Mission profile as the primary cause.”
ProPublica reported that Öztürk’s lawyer, Ramzi Kassem, alleged that the Trump administration is getting target lists from pro-Israel groups. “The sequence of events,” Kassem said, “is op-ed, doxxing, detention.”
Öztürk is a Turkish national legally in the U.S. to pursue a graduate degree in child studies.
A State Department memo also obtained by the Post rejected the DHS claims about Öztürk — prior to her detention — concluding there was no evidence of antisemitic or pro-Hamas sentiment or actions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to detain her anyway is now being challenged in court.
And the administration’s willingness to claim extraordinary legal powers based on suspect, unofficial intelligence appears to be a growing issue.
As I wrote over the weekend, Pres. Donald Trump’s claim that Venezuela’s government is running gang activity here in the U.S. originated at least in part from a group of unofficial investigators whose only known member is a former Tea Party candidate and CIA operative. Others include former Venezuelan officials.
The Trump administration used that intelligence to claim Alien Enemies Act authorities to remove alleged hostiles from U.S. soil, for the first time in peacetime.
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Disclosure: I once served as editor-in-chief of The Tufts Daily and joined other veterans of the newspaper to release an open letter last week calling for Öztürk’s release.
DJT proclaimed, “I’ve stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America, It’s back.”
Days later Öztürk is kidnapped and thrown into a concentration camp for advocating BDS—a decidedly peaceful, non-violent form of protest.
First he comes for the foreign students, next he comes for the home growns. Not only do we not have free speech, Li’l Marco now says we can be snatched by the Future-Thought police.