Turkish Tufts Student Released After ICE Detention \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A Vermont judge ordered the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts University, after more than six weeks in ICE detention. Her arrest followed an op-ed she co-authored criticizing Tufts’ response to the Gaza war. The court found no legal basis for her continued detention.
Quick Looks
- Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, was released from ICE custody after 45+ days.
- Judge William Sessions found no legal justification for her detention, citing First Amendment concerns.
- Ozturk was arrested in Massachusetts after co-authoring an op-ed criticizing Tufts’ response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
- Her student visa was revoked without notice prior to her arrest, according to her legal team.
- ICE transferred her through multiple states before detaining her in Basile, Louisiana.
- The State Department claimed her actions could “undermine U.S. foreign policy,” referencing alleged ties to pro-Palestinian groups.
- Ozturk testified about asthma attacks and deteriorating health in detention.
- The judge ordered her release on recognizance with no travel restrictions, pending further immigration proceedings.
- Her lawyers say Tufts has offered housing, and she will comply with all court conditions.
- Advocates say her arrest reflects the dangerous criminalization of political speech on U.S. campuses.
Deep Look
The weeks-long legal and human rights battle surrounding Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish Ph.D. candidate at Tufts University, culminated in a decisive ruling Friday from a federal judge in Vermont, ordering her immediate release from a Louisiana immigration detention center. Ozturk had been held for over six weeks following her arrest while walking in a Boston suburb on March 25.
The detention of Ozturk sparked widespread outcry among civil liberties advocates, fellow academics, and immigrant rights groups. Her arrest came just months after she co-authored a campus newspaper op-ed critical of Tufts University’s handling of pro-Palestinian student activism and its response to Israel’s war in Gaza. Her case quickly evolved from an immigration issue into a high-profile test of free speech, due process, and academic freedom.
Appearing via video at her bail hearing, Ozturk testified about the emotional and physical toll of her detention, describing 12 asthma attacks, one of which began at Atlanta airport, shortly after she was transferred by federal agents from the Northeast to a remote Louisiana facility. “I was afraid, and I was crying,” she told the court.
Judge William Sessions ruled that Ozturk posed no danger to the community or flight risk. “This is a woman who is just totally committed to her academic career,” Sessions said. “There’s absolutely no evidence justifying her detention.”
Ozturk, who was on track to finish her Ph.D. in December, focuses her research on children and social media. Her sudden arrest and detention, her lawyers say, disrupted both her studies and her health.
The Legal Journey and Constitutional Stakes
Ozturk was initially arrested in Massachusetts, where immigration agents confronted her, transported her to New Hampshire and Vermont, and ultimately placed her on a plane to Louisiana. Her student visa had been revoked, but her attorneys insist she was never informed of the revocation.
The ACLU of Massachusetts and her legal team filed an emergency petition in Massachusetts federal court, but delays in communication — including more than 24 hours without contact — forced the case to be transferred to Vermont.
Jessie Rossman, legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, emphasized the constitutional implications: “There’s absolutely no evidence that justifies detaining Ozturk for a single day… because she wrote a single op-ed in her student newspaper exercising her First Amendment right.”
The op-ed, published in The Tufts Daily, was co-authored with three other students. It called on Tufts to acknowledge what the writers described as the “Palestinian genocide” and urged financial divestment from entities connected to Israel. Though peaceful and academic in nature, the State Department later cited the op-ed as potentially creating a “hostile environment” for Jewish students and associating with a banned group — language that critics argue attempts to criminalize protected speech.
A memo cited by the Department of Homeland Security claimed, without public evidence, that Ozturk had engaged in activities supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist group — a charge her attorneys reject outright.
Political Speech and Immigration Policy
Immigrant rights attorney Mahsa Khanbabai, who represented Ozturk, condemned the arrest as part of a broader crackdown on dissent. “When did speaking up against oppression become a crime?” she asked. “When did speaking up against genocide become something to be imprisoned for?”
Ozturk’s legal team says Tufts has agreed to provide her housing while she awaits future hearings, and she plans to comply fully with ICE conditions. She will continue her academic work and attend court proceedings voluntarily.
Judge Sessions also signaled that the case may influence future policy around ICE detention standards, particularly for visa-holding students, and called on federal prosecutors to inform him as soon as Ozturk is physically released.
The judge’s ruling is seen as a victory for academic freedom and political expression, though immigration proceedings will continue. Her release has already energized activists who view her case as symbolic of broader threats to civil liberties, particularly for international students speaking out on controversial global issues.
As the legal process unfolds, Ozturk’s story remains a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration, surveillance, and the limits of dissent — especially for those from Muslim-majority countries navigating life in post-9/11 America.
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