A Free Land No More: An International Student’s Fears in the New America
Words by Anoymous
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Recommended Reads:
A Free Land No More
An International Student’s Fears in the New America
My relationship with the United States has long been at the heart of my identity, continuously evolving and growing alongside my interests. I fell in love with writing in elementary school and devoured American literature, endlessly admiring the mosaic of different cultures, identities, and worldviews that made the U.S. such a fascinating hub of creativity. A few years later, I was convinced I would be an astrophysicist and deeply respected America’s crucial leadership in scientific research, innovation, and education. In high school, I came face-to-face with my own country’s stifling culture of religious dogma, xenophobic violence, and social repression. I gazed wistfully at the U.S. 's diversity of thought, emphasis on personal liberty, and reliable constitutional freedoms - not to mention its growing social justice movements that prompted a worldwide reckoning about gender, sexuality, race, and marginalized identities. As a college student in America, I enthusiastically worked alongside people from every corner of the world, helped organize protests and fundraisers for causes I cared about, and joined various political associations that vigorously disagreed with each other - enjoying the intellectual and spiritual fruits of a free, diverse, and progressive society.
A few weeks ago, however, I watched a piece of footage that sent a chill down my spine.
The CCTV video is grainy, but the panic growing on the woman’s face is unmistakable. Her confusion hardens into terror as masked men pour out from unmarked vehicles, cornering her in broad daylight. She pleads for help, but her phone is snatched away, and her wrists are cuffed. Bystanders shout in alarm, but no one dares stop the agents as they drag her into a black van. And just like that, Rumeysa Özturk vanishes.
This unsettling scene reads like something out of a police state—the kind of lawless authoritarian ambush America claims to stand against. An unraveling democracy in which due process is a luxury and civil protections are met with a shrug. But this isn’t footage from Russia or Iran. It’s from Somerville, Massachusetts. The agents? Employed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Rumeysa’s crime? She co-authored a student newspaper op-ed critical of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The piece, still publicly available, is lawyerly and restrained. It contains no incitement to violence, no antisemitic remarks. Even the U.S. State Department acknowledged that she broke no laws. Yet she now sits in a Louisiana detention facility—reporting unsanitary conditions, repeated asthma attacks, and the forced removal of her hijab.
I’ve watched this video many times, each with an ever-growing sense of dread. As a South Asian student who came to the U.S. inspired by its literature, its civil rights legacy, and its intellectual freedoms, I now find myself afraid to sign my own name to this essay. That fear changes everything. It darkens the hopes that brought me here and clouds the vision of America I’ve held on to all my life.