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Federal Judge Orders Hearing for Detained Tufts Student
A federal judge has ruled that Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student from Tufts University, must be brought to Vermont by May 1 for a hearing regarding her detention by immigration authorities. The detention of Ozturk has raised concerns among her legal team, who argue that her treatment is a result of apparent retaliation for an op-ed she co-wrote in her university newspaper.
U.S. District Judge William Sessions expressed his readiness to hear Ozturk’s plea for release. Her legal representatives have requested her immediate release or, at the very least, her return to Vermont, where she can contest her immigration status more effectively.
The 30-year-old student was detained by immigration officials in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 25 while simply walking down the street. Following a series of transfers, she was taken to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Basile, Louisiana, where an immigration judge recently denied her bond request.
Ozturk is not alone; she is part of a group of individuals with ties to American academic institutions whose visas have been revoked or denied entry into the U.S. This has occurred in instances where they were accused of participating in demonstrations or openly supporting Palestinian rights. For example, Mahmoud Khalil, a student at Columbia University, faces deportation as deemed a national security risk according to federal arguments.
Ozturk’s legal team is actively challenging the foundation of her detention by ICE. They argue for her release or, alternatively, her return to Vermont while the immigration proceedings are ongoing.
The Justice Department’s representative countered that the immigration court holds jurisdiction over her case, suggesting that Ozturk’s motions should be dismissed.
Ozturk’s attorneys faced considerable difficulties in their initial attempts to represent her, including a delay of over 24 hours before being able to establish contact following her detention. The student herself has indicated that she made several unsuccessful attempts to speak to a lawyer during her time in custody.
She was among four students who contributed to an op-ed in The Tufts Daily, urging the university to confront its ties to companies involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while drawing attention to issues of investment and divestment relating to what they termed a “Palestinian genocide.”
The arguments put forth by Ozturk’s legal representatives highlight potential infringements on her constitutional rights, particularly concerning free speech and due process. Furthermore, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security remarked that investigations led to allegations of Ozturk’s involvement in activities in support of Hamas, a claim that has yet to be substantiated with evidence.
Source
abcnews.go.com