(MENAFN) A U.S. Homeland Security officer testified in court on Tuesday that he was explicitly told not to inform a Turkish Ph.D. candidate, who had been taken into custody by immigration officers in March, that her visa had been canceled.

“It was the determination made that she would not be” made aware “that her visa had been revoked. We did not plan on alerting her,” stated Patrick Cunningham during his testimony in a federal courtroom.

The student in question, Ozturk, a doctoral scholar at Tufts University, had her visa annulled without any prior notice following her co-authorship of an op-ed that expressed solidarity with Palestine.

Notably, the Trump administration initiated a controversial campaign this year targeting international students—even those holding valid visas—who voiced support for Palestine, despite the constitutional protection of free expression.

Ozturk was forcefully apprehended by masked personnel while walking outdoors and was forced into a vehicle. Shortly thereafter, she was flown from her home in Massachusetts to a detention center located in Louisiana, a state far from her residence.

Cunningham elaborated that the operation “developed pretty quickly,” and emphasized: “We made it a priority.”

Although his branch, Homeland Security Investigations, typically focuses on offenses related to narcotics, finance, and other criminal matters—not immigration issues—Ozturk’s case was treated as exceptional.

Her detainment and potential expulsion were accelerated due to her involvement in writing an op-ed piece.

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