On April 7, the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts’s 6th congressional district Seth Moulton appeared at Tufts University for an hour-long Q&A session, part of the Tisch College Solomont Speaker Series. As he sat with Professor of Political Science Deborah Schildkraut, Moulton addressed the Trump administration’s continued detainment of Rümeysa Öztürk, his comments on transgender athletes, and the power of constituents to fight back. 

In response to Schildkraut’s first question, which pertained to Öztürk’s March 25 arrest, the Iraq War veteran gave an unflinching assessment of ICE’s actions. “It's absolutely horrific. The idea that this would be happening on a street in Massachusetts is abhorrent and against every American value that we've stood for for centuries,” he said.

Moulton is one of 34 Democratic members of Congress and senators demanding due process for Öztürk, a Fulbright scholar who had been attending Tufts on a student visa. “Have we received a response? No. Why? Because it's completely unjustifiable. Because from the Secretary of State on down, or I should say, the President on down, they have no justification for what they did.”

Regarding his comments on transgender athletes, Moulton spoke out against what he considered a lack of dialogue among Democrats. “The Republican Party right now is going around burning books… but the problem is that sometimes in our own party—which, I would like to say, stands up for American values and against those assaults on basic freedoms—some people in our party have the same approach, which is to try to demean or cancel those who express views they disagree with. I think that's wrong.”

At a time when much of the political future is uncertain, Moulton was equally strong in his conviction that everyday Americans must not back down in a “wannabe dictatorship,” offering a series of action items:

Use your voice.

To fight authoritarianism, Moulton said, “the most important thing for Democrats to do, holistically, is to start winning. We have to win elections… In the meantime, the best we can do is what I’ve been doing, which is being extremely outspoken.”

"I’ve encouraged people to get out on social media and tell the stories of fellow Americans who are being attacked by this administration. Find a veteran in your family who's having trouble getting an appointment at the VA because Musk has fired so many people there,” he said. “It's very frustrating that there aren't more answers, because this is a winner-take-all business, and Democrats have lost across the board. But there are things that people can do, and I hope you will.”

Stand up, if you’re in a position to.

A question from a student in the audience prompted an additional call to rise and be heard. “The reality is that it's easier for you and me, longtime residents of Massachusetts, to stand up to this administration, than if you are perfectly legal with all the same rights, but here on a student visa,” said the congressman.

Volunteer any way you can. 

“Just like in the first Trump term, I get a lot of young people come up to me and say, ‘Congressman, I was thinking about serving in the military, or going into the Peace Corps or USAID, and I don't know if I can do that under this administration.’ Actually, it's a more important time for you to serve than ever,” Moulton said.

“America has never been a nation that's gotten it all right, but we've always been a country that believes that we might,” said Moulton, in closing. “And we've always depended on volunteers to get us there. This is a time when we need young Americans to stand up and volunteer to make our country better, to see us through this dark time, and to live up to American values.”