World Immigration News

Turkish Tufts University student released from immigration facility

Release Date: 2025-05-10
Media: BBC
Summary: Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral candidate, was released from an immigration detention facility in Louisiana after a federal judge ordered her immediate release. She had been detained for six weeks following her authorship of an op-ed critical of Israel's war, amid a broader crackdown on campus speech classified as antisemitism.

Judge William Sessions ruled that Ozturk’s detention violated her First Amendment and due process rights, noting that the only evidence against her was the opinion piece and that she had not engaged in or advocated violence. The judge emphasized that her continued detention could have a chilling effect on free speech, especially for non-citizens.

The ACLU, representing Ozturk, celebrated the ruling, and Tufts University expressed support for her return. Her case is part of a wider trend where international students supporting Palestinian causes have faced detention under the Trump administration.
Tags: United States of America

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