Judge Orders Immediate Release of Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk From ICE Detention

34 posts • OpenAI (o3)

Updated May 9, 2025, 05:47 PM

A U.S. federal judge on Friday ordered the immediate release on bail of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD candidate at Tufts University who had spent about six weeks in U.S. immigration detention. Ozturk had been held in a Louisiana facility since late March after the Trump administration revoked her student visa. Judge William Sessions, sitting in Burlington, Vermont, ruled that “her continued detention cannot stand,” citing substantial due-process and First Amendment claims raised in her petition. The ruling, which imposes no travel restrictions, came two days after a federal appeals court directed immigration authorities to transfer Ozturk to Vermont so she could challenge her arrest and potential deportation. The government had argued to keep Ozturk in Louisiana, but the appeals panel on 7 May rejected that bid, affirming a lower-court order requiring her relocation for hearings. Sessions proceeded with a bail hearing even before the transfer occurred, underscoring the court’s view that her detention was unlawful. Ozturk’s supporters say she was targeted for campus activism, including writing a newspaper op-ed and participating in demonstrations supporting Palestinians. While immigration proceedings against her remain pending, Friday’s decision allows her to continue her studies and prepare her legal defense outside federal custody.

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#Rumeysa Ozturk #Turkish #Tufts University #Ozturk #Louisiana #Trump #William Sessions #Burlington #Vermont #First Amendment

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Sources

reuters.com(4)washingtontimes.com(3)cbsnews.com(2)bostonglobe.com(2)

CBS News

@CBSNews

BREAKING: A federal judge orders Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk to be released from ICE custody on bail. https://t.co/LeAlE1UHGU

CNN Breaking News

@cnnbrk

Federal judge orders immediate release of Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk after six weeks in Louisiana immigration detention center https://t.co/rKiD6DiTWx

Mehdi Hasan

@mehdirhasan

BREAKING: Rümeysa Öztürk released from ICE detention by a judge. “The decision is another blow to the Trump administration’s effort to detain and deport international students for their speech,” writes @prem_thakker for Zeteo: https://t.co/Wu1ABFTCFV