Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Judge releases the Turkish Tufts University student who was detained by ICE to continue her studies
AP News ^ | Updated 4:34 PM CDT, May 9, 2025 | KATHY McCORMACK

Posted on 05/09/2025 4:07:52 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

A federal judge in Vermont on Friday released a Turkish Tufts University student detained in a Louisiana immigration center more than six weeks after she was arrested while walking along a street in a Boston suburb, allowing her to return to her studies.

U.S. District Judge William Sessions in Burlington released Rumeysa Ozturk pending a final decision on her claim that she’s been illegally detained following an op-ed she co-wrote last year that criticized the school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Details of her release and travel plans were not immediately available, and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement database still listed her as detained Friday afternoon in Louisiana, where her immigration proceedings will continue. But her supporters cheered the decision, punctuating a news conference held by her attorneys with chants of “She is free!”

“What we heard from the court today is what we have been saying for weeks, and what courts have continued to repeat up and down through the litigation of this case thus far,” Jessie Rossman, legal director at the ACLU of Massachusetts, told reporters. “There’s absolutely no evidence that justifies detaining Ozturk for a single day, let alone the six and a half weeks that she has been detained, because she wrote a single op-ed in her student newspaper exercising her First Amendment right to express an opinion.”

Appearing by video for her bail hearing, Ozturk, 30, detailed her growing asthma attacks in detention and her desire to finish her doctorate degree focusing on children and social media while appearing remotely at her bail hearing from the Louisiana center. She and her lawyer hugged after hearing the judge’s decision.

“Completing my Ph.D. is very important to me,” she testified. She had been on track to finish her work...

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: aliens; arrestsessions; education; enemieslist; enemycombatant; enemyjudge; judgewatch; judicialsedition; judicialtreason; rumeysaozturk; williamsessions
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-38 next last

1 posted on 05/09/2025 4:07:52 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Obama judge, natch.


2 posted on 05/09/2025 4:12:32 PM PDT by House Atreides (I’m now ULTRA-MAGA-PRO-MAX)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Democrats love terrorists and criminals.


3 posted on 05/09/2025 4:13:33 PM PDT by George J. Jetso
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Did Rubio pull her student visa?


4 posted on 05/09/2025 4:14:06 PM PDT by VanShuyten ("...that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable anima)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

“doctorate degree focusing on children and social media”

She comes from a country with no civil rights and she is worried about social media? Maybe she is studying how to brainwash children through social media into hating the west.


5 posted on 05/09/2025 4:16:46 PM PDT by BushCountry ( The Biggest Super Bowl in history going on in DC right now, It’s the Patriots vs The Stealers!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VanShuyten

Yes.

“A senior DHS spokesperson also confirmed Ozturk’s detention and the termination of her student visa.”

So, IDK how she can remain in the US without a visa.


6 posted on 05/09/2025 4:19:13 PM PDT by throwthebumsout
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: VanShuyten

“Did Rubio pull her student visa?”

I knew the radical extremism would come to this. Even Trump said if you are here legally such as a Student Visa he is good with it. Now they are after anyone and everyone legally here or not. Not good optics when we welcome “white” refugees from South Africa with fanfare and kick everyone else out whether they are temporarily here legally or not.


7 posted on 05/09/2025 4:19:26 PM PDT by Openurmind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

The old becomes new again.

“...her supporters cheered the decision, punctuating a news conference held by her attorneys with chants of “She is free!”

Pete Seeger album on Columbia Records: We Shall Overcome,(Carnegie Hall Concert, June 8, 1963).

I Ain’t A-Scared of Your Jail

I ain’t a-scared of your jail
‘Cause I want my freedom
I want my freedom
I want my freedom
I ain’t a-scared of your jail
‘Cause I want my freedom
I want my freedom now!


8 posted on 05/09/2025 4:20:28 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Openurmind
Now they are after anyone and everyone legally here or not

That sounds series.

9 posted on 05/09/2025 4:31:05 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (The judges are ganging up against the American people.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Tufts is NOT in VT.


10 posted on 05/09/2025 4:32:40 PM PDT by Paladin2 (YMMV)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Complete your degree elsewhere


11 posted on 05/09/2025 4:36:07 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
“Completing my Ph.D. is very important to me,”

Tough Shoveling. Complete your degree in your own country.

12 posted on 05/09/2025 4:37:57 PM PDT by ladyjane
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

I guess the rule that a judge has jurisdiction over detainees in her court’s geographical jurisdiction is something we don’t pay attention to much any more.


13 posted on 05/09/2025 4:38:43 PM PDT by j.havenfarm (24 years on Free Republic, 12/10/24! More than 10,500 replies and still not shutting up!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Do you mean to tell me, all we had to do was get a Texas judge to order the release of all the J6 prisoners?


14 posted on 05/09/2025 4:44:18 PM PDT by Yogafist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
She has her own wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detention_of_R%C3%BCmeysa_%C3%96zt%C3%BCrk#Detention

Her visa was revoked for “pro-Hamas activities.” That does not sound to me like just co-authoring a commentary.

Also wondering if she is related to the former commander of Turkish air force, who shares her last name and who recently stepped down.

This is going to be another “hill to die on” for the Dems.

15 posted on 05/09/2025 5:00:56 PM PDT by Missouri gal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Yogafist

Too bad our side didn’t think of that.


16 posted on 05/09/2025 5:03:19 PM PDT by dandiegirl (BOBBY m)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Guilty.

Or is that the Judge? even guiltier.


17 posted on 05/09/2025 5:14:03 PM PDT by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

“detained following an op-ed she co-wrote last year that criticized the school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza”

As I recollect, she and others called for disinvestment from Israel.

That may not be legal to do. I’m not a lawyer.


18 posted on 05/09/2025 6:16:27 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Op-ed: Try again, President Kumar: Renewing calls for Tufts to adopt March 4 TCU Senate resolutions

By Rumeysa Ozturk, Fatima Rahman, Genesis Perez and Nicholas Ambeliotis

Published Tuesday, March 26, 2024

On March 4, the Tufts Community Union Senate passed 3 out of 4 resolutions demanding that the University acknowledge the Palestinian genocide, apologize for University President Sunil Kumar’s statements, disclose its investments and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.

https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj


19 posted on 05/09/2025 6:19:45 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ladyjane

She should pay a 100% tariff on her tuition.


20 posted on 05/09/2025 6:31:05 PM PDT by Lisbon1940 (Don’t want to hurt no kangaroos )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-38 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson