By Kolby R. LaMarche

Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, was released from immigration detention on May 9, after over six weeks in custody. Her release, ordered by U.S. District Judge William Sessions in Burlington, marked a significant development in a case, among others, that has drawn national attention. Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar studying child development, is now free to return to her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, without travel restrictions, as the judge found no evidence of criminal activity or flight risk.

Ozturk’s ordeal began on March 25, when six plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested her on a street in Somerville, Massachusetts. Surveillance footage of the arrest, which went viral, showed masked officers surrounding her as she screamed. The U.S. Department of State had revoked her F-1 student visa, citing an op-ed she co-authored in March 2024 for the Tufts Daily, criticizing the university’s response to student resolutions calling for divestment from Israeli companies and acknowledgment of a “Palestinian genocide.” Her attorneys, including the ACLU, argued the arrest was retaliation for her protected speech.

• March 25: Ozturk arrested in Somerville at 5:15 p.m. ICE transported her to Methuen, Massachusetts, then Lebanon, New Hampshire, and finally to an ICE facility in St. Albans, Vermont, by 10:28 p.m.
• March 26: At 4:00 a.m., ICE moved Ozturk to Burlington, Vermont, and flew her to Alexandria, Louisiana, by 2:35 p.m. She was detained at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile.
• April 4: U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston rejected the government’s bid to dismiss or transfer Ozturk’s habeas petition to Louisiana, sending it to Vermont, where she was held when her lawyers filed the challenge.
• April 18: Judge Sessions ordered Ozturk transferred back to Vermont, finding “significant evidence” of constitutional violations.
• May 7: The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the transfer order, giving the government one week to comply.
• May 9: Sessions granted Ozturk’s release on bail, citing her worsening asthma, academic commitments, and First Amendment violations.

During the May 9 hearing, Sessions noted the government’s evidence relied heavily on the 2024 op-ed, stating Ozturk’s detention “potentially chills the speech” of non-citizens. Ozturk, appearing virtually in an orange jumpsuit, was released hours later. Her next court date is May 22, 2025, to address her underlying lawsuit.

Similarly, Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia University student arrested in Vermont, was released on May 1, after another judge rejected the government’s bid to re-detain him. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains Ozturk engaged in activities supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, though no charges have been filed. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News that visa holders’ presence is a “privilege,” and ICE cited a lack of detention space in New England for the Louisiana transfer. However, a Massachusetts judge found beds available in Maine, undermining this claim. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that “lower-level judges” should not dictate U.S. foreign policy, signaling ongoing federal resistance to such rulings.

Ozturk’s release is a victory for her supporters, but her legal battle continues as she seeks to restore her visa and resume her studies.