Judge orders Le Mesa Ozturk to be released after allegations of abuse in immigration detention facilities
Ozturk argues that her student visa was revoked after issuing Op-Ed, but her detention violates an infringement of her initial right to amend her to the free speech and legitimate process.
Scripps News
Popular online political commentator Hasan Piker was stopped and questioned by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Agent in Chicago when he returned to the US from France, Piker told Monday on a Twitch broadcast.
A US citizen born in New Jersey, Piker has 2.8 million followers on Twitch and is a well-known left-wing political commentator. On Monday, he said he was taken to a private room at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Sunday.
He said he was asked about his political views and his political commentary on his social media accounts. Piker said he stopped asking questions despite being registered with the government’s global entry program, despite the fact that he normally encourages re-entry into the United States.
“They tried to get something straight from me. “They said, “Do you like Hamas? Do you support Hamas? Do you think Hamas is a terrorist group or resistance group?”
Piker described his interaction with the agent as “heart-hearted” and said he was asked about his views on President Donald Trump and whether he had contact with Hamas, Hezbollah or the Hoosis.
“The reason they’re doing that is trying to create an environment of terror to try and keep people like me, or at least those in my shoes that don’t have the same level of security,” Piker said in the stream. “Use the privileges I have in the moment and try out what they’re doing.”
Piker was back in the United States to speak at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Political Science on Monday. He was in France over the weekend and interviewed French politician Jean Reque Mellenchon.
A spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection told USA Today on Monday that Piker’s detention was “routine.”
“They claim that his political beliefs sparked the test,” said the spokesman who refused to name it. “Our officers follow the law, not the agenda. Once they enter the country, this individual was referred for further testing. It is a regular and legal process that occurs every day and allows travelers to apply.
Detention is tense
Piker’s detention comes as activists and university students across the United States have been detained by federal agents in recent weeks.
A graduate student at Columbia University and a Palestinian refugee Mahmoud Khalil was detained by federal agents in March and led a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia University. He was accused of engaging in activities alongside Hamas.
Later that month, Tufts University international graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk was taken into custody by a federal agent after she co-written a pro-Palestinian opinion. She was released on bail last week after a federal judge in Vermont stated that the government lacked sufficient evidence to hold Ozture indefinitely.
Mohsen Mahadawi, another student at Columbia University, was taken into custody while arriving for a naturalization interview on April 14th, and was held at Vermont’s Detention Center. He was also released earlier this month following a federal judge’s ruling in Vermont.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA Today. Contact him at fernando.cervantes @gannett.com and follow him at x @fern_cerv_.
