Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national and Ph.D. student at Tufts University, has been released from a detention facility in Louisiana more than six weeks after plainclothes immigration authorities arrested her near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts.
A U.S. federal judge in Vermont, William K. Sessions, ruled on Friday that Öztürk must be released immediately from federal custody on bail while her case plays out. Öztürk’s attorney claims the Trump administration illegally arrested and detained her for writing a school newspaper op-ed criticizing her university’s response to the Israel-Hamas war.
“What we heard from the court today is what we have been saying for weeks and what courts have continued to repeat up and down through the litigation of this case thus far,” Jessie Rossman, Öztürk’s attorney, said. “There’s absolutely no evidence that justifies detaining Ms. Ozturk for a single day, let alone the six and a half weeks that she has been detained because she wrote a single op-ed in her student newspaper exercising her First Amendment right to express an opinion.”
Judge orders immediate release without monitoring
In his order, Sessions said Öztürk was to be released “on her own recognizance, without any form of Body-Worn GPS or other ICE monitoring at this time.” He also ruled that Öztürk would not face any travel restrictions.
Arrest video sparked outrage
In March, a video of Öztürk’s arrest went viral, drawing public outrage. The footage showed several immigration officers surrounding her on a street near her home. Her arrest is seen as part of a broader trend involving international students allegedly targeted by the federal government for their pro-Palestinian activism.
Öztürk has not been formally charged with any crime. However, the Trump administration accused her of supporting Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
Trump administration revokes hundreds of student visas
Two days after Öztürk’s arrest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration had revoked at least 300 student visas from foreign nationals.
“Oh, we revoked her visa. It’s an F1 visa, I believe. We revoked it, and here’s why. And I’ll say it again. I said it everywhere. Let me be abundantly clear,” Rubio said. “If you go apply for a visa right now anywhere in the world, let me just send this message out: if you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student and you tell us that the reason why you’re coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus, we’re not going to give you a visa.”
Originally from Turkey, Öztürk is in the United States on an F-1 visa.
Future legal proceedings planned
Judge Sessions has scheduled a future court hearing in Burlington, Vt., to review and hear legal arguments regarding the constitutional issues raised in Öztürk’s case.
