Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts University student arrested in March for her political speech, has been released from the Louisiana detention centre where she was being held. A federal judge ordered her return to Vermont for hearings but later ruled to release her, citing 'very significant due process concerns'.
Öztürk, a 30-year-old Turkish national and PhD student in child development, was bundled into an unmarked car by immigration agents on 25 March. She is fighting a deportation order issued by the Trump administration after she co-authored an opinion article in a student newspaper that was critical of Israel.
Judge William Sessions said her continued detention 'potentially chills the speech of the millions and millions of individuals in this country who are not citizens'. He added that there was no evidence she had engaged in or advocated violence, and that she did not pose a danger to the community.
Her legal team, including the American Civil Liberties Union, hailed the release. 'We are so relieved that Rümeysa will soon be back in Massachusetts, and won't stop fighting until she is free for good,' said Jessie Rossman, a lawyer for Öztürk.
During the hearing, it emerged that Öztürk had suffered multiple asthma attacks in detention and had her hijab forcibly removed. Her doctor and academic adviser testified about her health and her contributions to the university. The judge will hear arguments in her underlying lawsuit at a later hearing.
