Congressional delegation visits grad student, PhD student held in ICE detention

The Hill ^ | 04/22/25 10:04 PM ET | by Lauren Irwin

[RandFan]

A Congressional delegation traveled to Louisiana on Tuesday to demand the release of Rümeysa Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, and Mahmoud Khalil, a 2024 Columbia University graduate, and to examine conditions at their separate detention facilities.

It’s the first time a delegation has visited with either detainee. The visit was first reported by CNN.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) shared on X that he was heading to Louisiana to demand the release of Ozturk, one of his constituents.

Markey was joined by fellow Democrats, Reps. Troy Carter (La.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern (Mass.).

Ozturk’s arrest and detention sparked widespread concern after immigration officers in plain clothes detained her on March 25 and placed her in an unmarked van. She was sent from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, then Vermont and finally to Louisiana.

Her student visa was terminated, and attorneys argue that her due process rights are being violated.

[zeestephen]

Re: "What do we make of these cases then, Freepers?"

Trump's political strategy seems to be total, or near total, silence on immigration related arrests.

Basically, I disagree with that silence.

It creates a tidal wave of un-challenged political criticism.

We have strong arguments and evidence against that criticism, and we should be loudly making our own case.

[packrat35]

Exactly, if trespassing gets you held without bail for 4 years, I have nothing for these anti-American turds...