US federal judge halts deportation of Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk
Rumeysa Ozturk, Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, was detained by ICE in the US due to her pro-Palestinian activities. (Collage by Türkiye Today team / Photo via X / Screengrab from CCTV)
A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday blocked the deportation of Turkish-born Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk, pending a ruling on her habeas corpus petition.
U.S. District Judge Denise Casper halted the removal, ruling that the court could pause any deportation to preserve the status quo while determining if it has jurisdiction over the case. She based her decision on existing federal precedents.
Ozturk’s lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, filed an amended petition Thursday challenging her removal, prompting the court to assess whether there is a legal dispute over its jurisdiction in the case.
As a result, Ozturk’s deportation has been postponed, with the court setting a deadline of 5 p.m. local time on April 1 to resolve the dispute.
‘Rumeysa’s experience shocking, unconstitutional’
According to information obtained by Türkiye daily from the office of Khanbabai, Ozturk’s lawyer, Khanbabai said, “This is the first step in securing Rumeysa’s release and bringing her back to Boston so she can continue her studies. But we should never have reached this point: Rumeysa’s experience is shocking, cruel, and unconstitutional.”
Adding that they could not locate Ozturk for nearly 24 hours, despite a court order preventing the government from removing her from Massachusetts, Khanbabai said, “…we finally learned the Trump administration had shipped her to Louisiana.”
Emphasizing that criticizing U.S. foreign policy and human rights violations is not illegal, she added, “The government must immediately release Rumeysa so she can resume her studies and rejoin her community.”
Ozturk, 30, a Turkish PhD student and Fulbright scholar, was detained late Tuesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, while on her way to an iftar (fast-breaking meal) dinner.
‘We revoked her visa’
The decision came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Thursday that Ozturk’s F1 student visa had been revoked, defending the action as a response to her critical stance on Israel.
“We revoked her visa,” Rubio said at a news conference in Guyana, referring to Ozturk’s F1 student visa. “We give you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses.”
Rubio, however, did not provide evidence connecting Ozturk to violence.
Turkish academic Rumeysa Ozturk detained by US authorities after being targeted by pro-Israel groups for Palestine protests
◼️ Ozturk recently co-authored article condemning Israel's actions in Gaza
◼️She now faces deportation despite holding a valid F-1 visa pic.twitter.com/XEzbZobcXK
— Türkiye Today (@turkiyetodaycom) March 26, 2025
Her lawyer and family said she was arrested following a campaign by Canary Mission, a pro-Israel website that blacklists pro-Palestine students and activists, stemming from an article she wrote in 2024 criticizing Israel.
Ozturk has not been charged with any crime, according to her lawyer. A viral video captured her detention, showing masked agents handcuffing her and forcibly taking her phone. According to the ICE Locator website, Ozturk is being held at a detention facility in Louisiana.
This action follows a broader trend of targeting pro-Palestinian students and academics under the Trump administration, which previously led to the detention of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil from Columbia University and researcher Badar Khan Suri from Georgetown University.
