A Tufts University student, Rumeysa Öztürk, who is fighting deportation after writing an essay about Israel and the war in Gaza, has been ordered by a federal judge to be transferred back to Vermont. The judge stayed his order for four days to allow the government a chance to appeal. Öztürk, a Turkish national on a visa, is currently held in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana. The judge refused the government’s efforts to dismiss her habeas petition, citing significant constitutional concerns with her arrest and detention.
Öztürk was arrested in March in Massachusetts, accused by the Department of Homeland Security of supporting Hamas for co-writing an opinion essay calling on Tufts to acknowledge the Palestinian genocide. Her attorneys argue that advocating for human rights and freedom should not lead to imprisonment.
The ruling allows Öztürk to remain in ICE custody in Vermont as her habeas petition challenging her detainment proceeds in federal court, along with her removal case in immigration court in Louisiana. The Trump administration is trying to deport international students like Öztürk for protesting Israel’s actions in the war against Hamas. Tufts University has defended Öztürk, stating that her essay did not violate university policies and was in line with their support for free speech. The Department of Justice declined to comment on the matter.
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