Federal Court Orders Transfer of Turkish Tufts Student Detained in Louisiana
By Kathy McCormack
A federal appeals court has ruled to bring Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student from Tufts University, back to New England from a Louisiana immigration detention center. The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals issued this order on Wednesday following a judicial panel hearing that addressed her legal situation.
Ozturk has been detained for six weeks, a situation that arose following her involvement in an op-ed criticizing Tufts University’s handling of Israel’s actions in Gaza. The court mandated that she be transferred to ICE custody in Vermont by May 14, enabling her to participate in hearings about her alleged unlawful detention.
Legal representatives for Ozturk claim her detention infringes on her constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Conversely, the U.S. Justice Department contended that an immigration court in Louisiana has authority over her case and appealed an earlier ruling from a Vermont district judge.
Ozturk’s journey into detention began on March 25, when immigration officials intercepted her in a Boston suburb, subsequently escorting her through New Hampshire and Vermont before placing her on a plane to Louisiana. She was one of four students who penned the op-ed in "The Tufts Daily," urging the university to recognize the plight of Palestinians and reconsider its financial ties to companies linked to Israel.
In March, a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security indicated that investigations suggested Ozturk had engaged in actions supportive of Hamas, a claim they did not substantiate with evidence.
Her case continues to attract significant media attention, raising pressing issues about free speech, academic freedom, and immigration rights in the United States.
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