A Tufts University PhD student detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March has been released from a Louisiana jail following a federal judge's ruling that her detention raised 'very significant due process concerns'. Rümeysa Öztürk, 30, a Turkish national studying child development, was arrested on 25 March by masked agents near Boston and subsequently held in Louisiana.
Judge William Sessions ordered her release on Friday after a remote hearing, stating that her continued detention 'potentially chills the speech' of non-citizens. He noted there was 'absolutely no evidence' that Öztürk had engaged in or advocated violence, and that she posed no danger to the community. The judge said the government's case rested solely on an opinion article she co-authored in a student newspaper critical of Israel.
Öztürk's legal team, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (Clear) clinic, argued her arrest violated her First Amendment rights. The Trump administration had sought to deport her under a rarely used immigration statute allowing removal of individuals deemed harmful to US foreign policy.
During the hearing, Öztürk appeared via video in a bright orange prison jumpsuit. Her doctor testified that she had suffered multiple asthma attacks in detention and struggled to receive treatment. At one point, Öztürk had an asthma attack during the proceedings. Her academic adviser, Sara Johnson, described her as a 'critical part of our lab' and a mentor to junior students.
Judge Sessions ordered Öztürk's immediate release and allowed her to return to Massachusetts. Her lawyer, Jessie Rossman of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said: 'We are so relieved that Rümeysa will soon be back in Massachusetts, and won’t stop fighting until she is free for good.' Further hearings in her underlying lawsuit are scheduled.
