Overview

• Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student, was arrested in March by ICE after co-authoring a pro-Palestinian op-ed, leading to the revocation of her student visa.
• A Vermont federal judge ruled on May 8 that Öztürk’s six-week detention violated her First and Fifth Amendment rights, ordering her immediate release.
• Öztürk returned to Massachusetts on May 10 and is now resuming her studies under judicially imposed bail conditions while pursuing legal action to contest her visa revocation.
• Her case highlights broader concerns about the Trump administration’s use of immigration enforcement against international students critical of U.S. foreign policy.
• Öztürk has pledged to use her platform to advocate for the hundreds of women still detained in Louisiana ICE facilities, drawing attention to systemic abuses in private detention centers.