Tufts Student Rümeysa Öztürk Released from Immigration Detention Following Federal Judge’s Order

A federal judge in Vermont has ordered the immediate release of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national and doctoral student at Tufts University. Judge William K. Sessions ruled that her detention by immigration authorities appeared to be a retaliatory act in response to an op-ed she co-authored criticizing Tufts’ handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Judge Sessions, citing a lack of evidence to justify her detention, stated that the government had failed to present any information suggesting Öztürk posed a substantial risk. "The court finds that Ms. Öztürk has raised a substantial claim of a constitutional violation," Sessions declared, emphasizing that her detention could potentially suppress the speech of millions of noncitizens in the United States.

Öztürk’s detention began on March 25, when plainclothes ICE agents arrested her in a Boston suburb, days after her student visa was quietly canceled. She was transported across multiple states before being held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center under conditions that she testified aggravated her chronic asthma.

The Trump administration had accused Öztürk of supporting Hamas and claimed her activism could undermine U.S. foreign policy by fostering a hostile environment for Jewish students. However, the government has provided no evidence to support these accusations beyond the op-ed, which condemned Israel's actions in Gaza as a "plausible genocide."

The case has become a high-profile example of the administration's crackdown on noncitizen activists, drawing national attention and raising concerns about free speech rights. Advocates argue that Öztürk’s detention was an unconstitutional attempt to silence dissent. Her lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, celebrated the court’s decision while condemning the 45 days Öztürk spent in detention as unjust punishment for exercising her right to free speech.

While Öztürk's release allows her to resume her studies at Tufts, she still faces the threat of deportation as the court considers the broader constitutional questions of her case later this month.