Tufts urges community to report sightings of immigration officers after officers were spotted near campus

Tufts University officials urged the community to report sightings of immigration officials Tuesday after being alerted about federal activity near campus.

University Police Chief Yolanda Smith told students and staff in an email that the campus Department of Public Safety was “actively monitoring the situation in coordination with our municipal partners in Medford and Somerville.”

Smith cited reports of “recent federal immigration enforcement activity” in the area but did not provide specific details.

Anyone who encountered immigration officers “on or near campus” was urged to call campus police. They also referred community members to their Office of University Counsel websitewhich contained information about their protocols regarding federal agents.

“Tufts has a clearly defined process for responding to government officials who arrive on campus without notice,” Smith said in the email. “Tufts Public Safety remains alert and engaged on all campuses and follows robust protocols designed to protect our community.”

The community alert came just over ten months after Rümeysa Öztürk, a graduate student at the university, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Somerville. After spending 45 days in a Louisiana detention center, she was released by order of a federal judge in Vermont.

Öztürk is a Turkish citizen who attended Tufts on a student visa. In December 2025, her record as an international student was reinstated after it was terminated by the State Department earlier this year.