In today’s political circus, it’s getting harder and harder to separate what’s real from what’s just noise. But when the federal government arrests a foreign student near Boston, accuses her of supporting Hamas, and revokes her visa, it’s not just another Twitter argument. This time, it’s serious — and it deserves an honest, careful look.

So, here’s the situation: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents recently detained a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, Rumeysa Ozturk, right outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts. A video that circulated online showed plainclothes, masked agents taking her into custody. Then came the statement from the Department of Homeland Security: they claim she engaged in “activities in support of Hamas,” a designated foreign terrorist organization. But as of this writing, they haven’t shown the public any hard evidence.

Let’s get something straight right out of the gate: if DHS is right — if Ozturk truly did support Hamas in any real way, whether by aiding their propaganda, raising funds, coordinating activity, or glorifying terrorism — then yes, absolutely, her visa should be revoked. This isn’t even a close call. She’s a foreign national, not a U.S. citizen, and she’s here by permission, not entitlement. We don’t owe her a platform. And we certainly don’t owe her sanctuary if she’s promoting an organization that revels in killing civilians — including Americans.

Hamas isn’t some misunderstood political movement. This is a group that literally murders children, uses civilians as human shields, and openly calls for the extermination of Jews. That’s not freedom fighting. That’s evil. So, if she supported that, even indirectly, the decision to remove her from this country was both morally and legally justified. The Bible says in Proverbs 17:15, “He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord.” We don’t justify the wicked. Period.

But here’s where things get murky — and where the government better tread lightly.

If the only thing Ms. Ozturk did was write an op-ed calling for Tufts to divest from Israel — and if there’s no real evidence of her having any involvement with Hamas beyond that — then this whole situation is deeply troubling. Because like it or not, that’s not grounds for detention and deportation. That’s called free speech.

Now look, I disagree with that kind of speech. Passionately. I believe Israel has a right to defend itself, and I believe many of the campus protests today are dishonest, hate-filled, and even anti-Semitic. But if all she did was express a political opinion, then the government has no business silencing her, much less hauling her off the street and deporting her.

Tom Rogan from the Washington Examiner summed it up perfectly:

“If there is evidence of Ozturk’s support for Hamas, the State Department should make it public. If there is evidence that Ozturk took over campus buildings or harassed Jewish students, it should be case closed, sayonara. But it should also go without saying that writing an op-ed should not, alone, be a cause for visa revocation.”

Exactly right. If she crossed the line into criminal behavior — like vandalizing school property, organizing illegal takeovers of campus buildings, or threatening Jewish students — then she’s got to go. No question. But if all she did was speak her mind, however misguidedly, then detaining her without presenting clear evidence is a dangerous road for our country to go down.

Because here’s the thing, folks: the same overreach that could silence her could be used one day to silence us. Imagine a Christian student from Poland writes an op-ed criticizing abortion or transgender policies at Harvard. Would we be okay with DHS calling that “hate speech” and tossing them in a van? No way. That’s why we have to be careful not to throw out our core values — especially when we’re dealing with controversial or unpopular opinions.

Justice demands consistency. And justice demands transparency.

If DHS has evidence of real wrongdoing — if Ozturk was supporting terrorists in any tangible way — then let the American people see it. If they don’t have that evidence, or if the “support” amounts to nothing more than writing something we don’t like, then the government overstepped, plain and simple. And they need to answer for it.

Let’s be honest: this wouldn’t be the first time either party got too aggressive with immigration enforcement. And while I generally appreciate the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on crime and chaos, they haven’t always gotten it right. Case in point: they recently tried to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport people Tren de Aragua members. That was clumsy, unnecessary, and totally avoidable.

The good news? It looks like they’ve learned a lesson. Just this week, the Trump team deported 17 gang members back to El Salvador — the right way. No weird legal loopholes. No wartime statutes. Just standard immigration enforcement, as it should be. Frankly, I have no idea why they didn’t do that from the beginning.

This is how we want our leaders to operate: strong, but smart. Firm, but fair. America doesn’t need to tolerate criminals, terrorists, or agitators — especially not foreign ones. But we also shouldn’t trample on liberty just because someone said something we don’t like. That’s what tyrants do.

As Christians, we are called to speak the truth, love justice, and defend the innocent. As conservatives, we believe in limited government, individual rights, and the rule of law. Those aren’t contradictory principles — they go hand in hand. And this case is exactly where they meet.

So, here’s my message to DHS: if Ozturk was supporting Hamas, thank you for taking action. But if she wasn’t — if all she did was write a controversial opinion — then you’d should release her and explain yourselves. Because in America, we don’t punish people just for speaking their mind.

Even when they’re dead wrong.

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).

Let’s hold the government to that same standard.