Massachusetts
International student fearful after Rumeysa Ozturk detained by ICE in Massachusetts
An international student at Tufts University says the arrest of graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk has him careful about his movements around the area, calling it unprecedented fear.
“I’m scared, my parents are scared,” said the student who did not want to be identified.
Ozturk, an international student on a visa, was handcuffed and taken away by plainclothes federal agents late Tuesday afternoon, some wearing masks. Some in the community are calling it a kidnapping.
“You come to a country where you’re told there’s rule of law, and certain guaranteed constitutional rights for everyone on the land, and you see what seems like flagrant violations of that happening, it’s natural that I’d be pretty scared,” the student said.
The Department of Homeland Security claims Ozturk supports the activities of Hamas, without providing any evidence.
Immigration attorney on arrest
Immigration attorney Stephen Roth calls it unusual to remove her from Massachusetts or New England, and believes it was deliberate to send her to Louisiana.
“I believe it is a way for them to separate her from her attorney, from her friends, from her family and her ability to have contact with people in her jurisdiction who are able to help her,” Roth told WBZ.
Her attorney has appealed to the courts for her return.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell says the federal government refuses to answer many questions about a student here lawfully.
“Where was she in the first 24 hours, why is she being detained?” Campbell said. “What are the allegations, has she violated any laws, does she have a criminal record?”
International students wary
Tufts has reminded international students to carry documentation with them. The student who spoke with WBZ says the arrest has him rethinking his future plans for graduate studies in the U.S.
“I feel like I have to suppress and sort of lay low in public, but at least on campus I haven’t felt that I needed to,” the student said. “Everybody I’ve spoken to has been really supportive and understanding of the situation and that’s been a silver lining.”
Demonstrations in support of Ozturk have drawn hundreds, but Roth says it’s that kind of outspokenness that international students now must be wary of.
“If you are out there protesting, posting online, then yes you are now what I believe to be a target by the United States government, even though your right to free speech is protected by the First Amendment,” Roth said.
Several chains and local shops are marking the July 19 holiday with giveaways, rewards offers and limited-time discounts. Some offers require an app or loyalty account, and participation may vary by location.
Here are some deals for National Ice Cream Day in Massachusetts:
New City Microcreamery: The Massachusetts scoop shop is giving away a $25 gift card for National Ice Cream Day. To enter, customers must like the giveaway post, comment with a favorite New City flavor and follow the shop on Facebook and Instagram. You can find the post here.
Following similar legislature in his native Vermont, singer-songwriter supports “The Great Divide Act” combating speculative tickets, resale fees, and more
Noah Kahan has thrown his support behind a new Massachusetts bill aimed at capping ticket resale prices.
Like other states in recent weeks — including Washington, D.C. just a day earlier — Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has announced “An Act Relative to Closing the Great Divide between Ticket Prices and Affordability” — or “The Great Divide Act,” named in part after Kahan’s latest LP — a bill that would limit ticket resales prices, bar speculative tiket sales, and cut down on some ticket fees.
Kahan, who previously backed a similar bill in his native Vermont and is fresh off four sold-out shows at Boston’s Fenway Stadium, appeared via video at Healey’s press conference Thursday.
“I heard about what you’re announcing today and I just wanted to let you know how excited I am about it,” Kahan said. “The artist community and fans will greatly benefit from limiting ticket scalping and the sales of speculative tickets. I love my fans and want to protect them however I can. Artists alone could not tackle the market manipulation of secondary resellers. So, thank you so much for making this a priority in Massachusetts.”
Under the proposed Great Divide Act, concert tickets on the secondary market would be capped at 110 percent of their original face value, and secondary ticket sites would similarly only be allowed to take a 10 percent cut of resold tickets.
In the aftermath of the World Cup games at Gillette Stadium, where “speculative tickets” — or sellers offering tickets they don’t actually have — resulted in hundreds of people getting turned away from the soccer games, the Great Divide Act will also aim at prohibiting the practice. “Far too many Massachusetts residents have experienced the pain of being excited to buy tickets to see their favorite singer or sports team, only to realize that resale prices and fees have driven up the cost to outrageous levels,” Healey said Thursday.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Springfield bankruptcy attorney Andrea M. O’Connor has been named to the 2026 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list.
According to the firm, Andrea M. O’Connor of Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C., has been named to the 2026 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list in the Bankruptcy: Consumer practice area, marking the fourth consecutive year she has received the recognition.
O’Connor’s practice draws on experience representing both debtors and creditors, serving as a Chapter 7 trustee and clerking for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. The firm said she develops legal strategies tailored to her clients’ individual needs and goals.
O’Connor graduated magna cum laude from Western New England University School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Western New England Law Review. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Connecticut, as well as before the U.S. District Courts for Massachusetts and Connecticut, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Beyond her legal practice, O’Connor serves as chair of the Bankruptcy Section of the Hampden County Bar Association and is co-chair of both the Western Massachusetts Bankruptcy Conference and the MCLE Bankruptcy Conference. She also serves on committees for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Before earning placement on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list from 2023 through 2026, O’Connor was recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star each year from 2019 through 2022.
Super Lawyers is a peer-reviewed attorney rating service that recognizes lawyers in more than 70 practice areas. The organization says its selection process includes attorney nominations, independent research and peer evaluations.
Local News Headlines
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand.
-
Alaska5 minutes agoEPA waives Clean Air Act restrictions on high-sulfur diesel for the North Slope
-
Arizona11 minutes agoArizona lacrosse leaders believe sport is poised to grow
-
Arkansas17 minutes agoTwo Narratives, One Ballot Box: Trump’s Concerns and Arkansas’ Response
-
California23 minutes agoForest Service workers held hostage at gunpoint by father, son in CA forest for hours: Authorities
-
Colorado29 minutes agoThe presiding judge of Colorado Springs Municipal Court will retire
-
Connecticut35 minutes agoWethersfield woman accused of sexually coercing minor from New York after meeting him online
-
Delaware41 minutes agoCanadian Wildfire Smoke Pushes Delaware Air Quality to Code Red | Delaware LIVE News
-
Florida47 minutes agoWill Florida see its next named storm this weekend?
