Tufts PhD Student Rumeysa Ozturk Freed after Six Weeks in ICE Detention
College student Rümeysa Öztürk returns to her home following a six-week stint in a Louisiana jail.
In a breathtaking relief for Rumeysa Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, she has been released from ICE detention. The federal judge, William K. Sessions III, ordered her immediate release following a hearing on May 10, 2025.
Accompanied by a cheerful mob at Boston Logan International Airport on Saturday evening, Ozturk expressed her gratitude for the support she received throughout her ordeal.
"It feels great to be back home in Massachusetts," she said at the airport press conference. "I have faith in the American system of justice, and this has been a tough journey for me and my community. I couldn't have made it without the love and support of so many."
Ozturk's arrest in broad daylight near her Somerville, Massachusetts, home on March 25, 2025, followed her co-authoring of a campus newspaper op-ed critical of Tufts' response to the war in Gaza. The federal government accused her of supporting Hamas, but no evidence was produced in court to back their claims.
The chilling video of her March 25 arrest showed a swarm of officers surrounding her as she screamed in fear. This arrest, more than 1,500 miles away from her home, was one of a series of high-profile arrests of international students participating in pro-Palestinian activism, causing widespread protests and raising concerns over academic freedom, due process, and free speech on university campuses.
Hours after her release order, a smiling Ozturk was surrounded by supporters chanting her name as she left the detention center.
Her parents were overjoyed by the decision. "We are so happy as a family," said her mother, Tuğba Ozturk, speaking to Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu. "Rumeysa is going back to her studies and research work, and she can now fight her case in court."
Senators Ed Markey and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts joined her lawyers at the press conference, praising her bravery and her symbolic representation of the fight against suppression of free speech and due process.
"Rumeysa's release is a victory for justice, a victory for our democracy," Sen. Markey said. "She is a shining example of the fundamental right to have a voice and express your beliefs without fear of persecution."
This release comes after protests and concerns escalated over the Trump administration's focus on deporting noncitizens who speak out against the war in Gaza. Other detainees, like Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student facing deportation, are still fighting for their rights.
Meanwhile, tufts University spokesperson Mike Rodman stated that Rumeysa is a student in good standing, and her op-ed did not violate the university's policies. The judge ordered her release without travel restrictions or ICE monitoring.
However, despite the judge's decision, ICE attempted to delay her release by trying to force her to wear an ankle monitor. But her attorneys were successful in their efforts to secure her immediate release without any form of monitoring or restriction.
The judge's findings during the hearing reveal a clear attempt to silence individuals who express controversial political views. The court recognized the potential danger to Ozturk's health due to her asthma and the traumatic incident she had experienced during her detention.
"It's a relief to be able to return to my community and continue my studies," Ozturk said. "I will keep fighting for my rights and the rights of others who have faced similar injustices."
- Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts PhD student who was recently released from ICE detention, expressed her happiness at being back home in Massachusetts during a press conference.
- Senators Ed Markey and Ayanna Pressley, representing Massachusetts, praised Rumeysa Ozturk for her bravery and symbolic representation of the fight against suppression of free speech and due process.
- Ozturk's arrest was a result of her co-authoring a campus newspaper op-ed critical of Tufts' response to the war in Gaza, and the federal government accused her of supporting Hamas, but no evidence was produced in court to back their claims.
- Other detainees, like Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student facing deportation, are still fighting for their rights amidst concerns escalated over the Trump administration's focus on deporting noncitizens who speak out against the war in Gaza.
