Trump admin blocked from deporting Tufts PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk after ICE arrest in Boston
A recent ruling by US District Court Judge Denise Casper has halted the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts Ph.D. student accused of supporting Hamas. The decision, made in the District of Massachusetts, aims to maintain the status quo while the court determines its jurisdiction over the case.
Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, was arrested by ICE agents and marked for deportation. However, Judge Casper’s ruling prevents her from being deported at this time. The Department of Homeland Security claimed that Ozturk was a Hamas supporter but has not provided any evidence to support this allegation.
In a viral video, Ozturk is seen being apprehended by plainclothes ICE officers on a Boston street, causing shock and confusion. Despite her Ph.D. studies at Tufts University and a Master’s degree from Columbia, Ozturk was taken to a facility in Louisiana before the deportation was halted.
One of the key pieces of evidence cited by the DHS was an opinion article co-authored by Ozturk in the Tufts Daily newspaper. The article criticized school administrators for their response to anti-Israel protests and called for divestment from companies with ties to Israel. Ozturk is also listed in the database of Canary Mission, an organization that labels her as an anti-Israel activist and supporter of the BDS movement.
Similar legal battles involving students from Georgetown University and Columbia University are ongoing in other districts, highlighting the broader implications of these deportation attempts. Judge Casper’s decision to block Ozturk’s deportation signifies a complex legal battle ahead, as the court navigates issues of free speech, activism, and national security concerns.
