US judge rules Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk’s case to proceed in Vermont amid asthma attacks in detention

A United States federal judge on Friday denied the Trump administration’s attempt to dismiss or transfer the case of Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk to Louisiana, ruling instead that the case will proceed in Vermont.

U.S. District Judge Denise Casper also granted a request to block the government from removing Ozturk from the U.S. while her petition challenging her detention is being considered.

In her 26-page decision, Casper stated that Vermont was the appropriate venue for the case since Ozturk had been confined there when the petition was filed. The judge also pointed out that Ozturk’s legal team was unaware of her location following her detention, which led them to file the petition in Massachusetts, where Ozturk had been detained initially.

‘Ozturk suffered 3 asthma attacks in detention’

Meanwhile, U.S. House of Representatives member Ayanna Pressley highlighted that Ozturk “suffered three asthma attacks” in detention.

Pressley, who represents Massachusetts, where Ozturk was initially detained, said Ozturk had endured three asthma attacks at a detention facility in Louisiana since her detention on March 25. Ozturk allegedly did not have access to her medication during this period.

Pressley called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to “ensure that Ozturk has immediate access” to necessary medical care and demanded the reinstatement of her visa and her release.

🚨UPDATE: Rümeysa Öztürk has now suffered three separate asthma attacks while in DHS custody.

She has not received her required asthma medications—a violation of her fundamental right to medical care.

This is cruelty, it is neglect, and it is a damning moral and legal failure.… https://t.co/z0rnVclaib pic.twitter.com/ekhgEDXoyT

— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) April 3, 2025

Ozturk detained after being targeted by Jewish lobby

Ozturk, 30, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University and Fulbright scholar, was detained on March 25 near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, as she was on her way to an iftar dinner (fast-breaking meal) to break her fast during Ramadan.

No charges have been filed against Ozturk, according to her lawyer. A viral video showed masked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents handcuffing Ozturk and forcibly taking her phone during the detention.

Ozturk’s detention follows a campaign by Canary Mission, a pro-Israel website that blacklists pro-Palestinian students and activists. In 2024, Ozturk co-authored an op-ed in the Tufts University newspaper, urging the university to recognize Israel’s continued Gaza genocide and divest from companies with ties to Israel.

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

F-1 visa revoked over pro-Palestinian stance

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Ozturk’s F-1 student visa had been revoked. Authorities claim she engaged in activities supporting the Palestinian group Hamas—an accusation strongly denied by her family and advocates.

Meanwhile, Ozturk’s lawyers and supporters contend she was detained for co-writing an op-ed in The Tufts Daily in March 2024, which criticized the university’s handling of the pro-Palestinian movement.

Ozturk’s detention is part of a broader crackdown by the Trump administration on pro-Palestinian students and academics. It follows the detention of Palestinian activist and recent Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil and Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri.