Tufts Graduate Student’s Deportation Halted by Immigration Court
An immigration court has blocked the deportation of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University who was detained by immigration officials near her home in Massachusetts, according to documents filed by her attorneys on Monday.
The attorneys for Öztürk stated that the immigration court determined on that the Department of Homeland Security has not demonstrated that Öztürk should be removed from the United States.
The immigration court also terminated deportation proceedings against Öztürk, the attorneys noted in a letter addressed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which has been reviewing her case.
The department has the option to appeal the court’s decision, according to the document filed by her attorneys.
Öztürk is a doctoral student studying the relationship between children and social media. She was arrested in while walking on a street, as the Trump administration began to focus on foreign-born students and activists involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy. She had co-authored an opinion article criticizing her university’s response to Israel and the war in Gaza.
Video footage showed agents in masks handcuffing her and placing her into an unmarked vehicle.
A petition for her release was initially filed in federal court in Boston and then moved to Burlington, Vermont. Öztürk was released from an immigration detention center in Louisiana in and has since returned to the Tufts campus, outside of Boston.
A federal judge stated that Öztürk raised serious concerns about her First Amendment rights and due process, as well as her health. The federal government appealed her release to the Second Circuit.
Öztürk’s attorneys informed the Second Circuit that the government might attempt to re-detain their client if it appeals the immigration court’s decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Öztürk expressed that it was encouraging to know that some justice could prevail.
“Today, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that despite the failures of the justice system, my case may give hope to those who have also been wronged by the United States government,” she said in a statement released by her attorneys.
The case highlights the increasing scrutiny faced by international students and activists who express views critical of Israeli policy, particularly in the wake of the conflict in Gaza. Öztürk’s detention sparked widespread concern among civil liberties groups and academic institutions, who argued that her arrest was a violation of her rights to free speech and academic freedom.
The Second Circuit’s ongoing review of the case centers on whether the government had sufficient justification for detaining Öztürk and whether her First Amendment rights were violated. The court will also consider the potential impact of the government’s actions on academic freedom and the broader climate for international students in the United States.
While the immigration court’s decision provides temporary relief for Öztürk, the possibility of an appeal by the Department of Homeland Security means that her legal battle is far from over. Her attorneys are preparing to defend the court’s decision and continue to advocate for her right to remain in the United States to complete her studies.
