Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish doctoral candidate at Tufts University who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March, returned to Massachusetts on Saturday after a judge granted her release.
Ozturk appeared at a news conference at Boston Logan International Airport on Saturday evening, alongside Democratic Senator Ed Markey and Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
“I believe in the American justice system,” Ozturk said, thanking everyone in her community and around the world for their support of her case.
Ozturk also stated that during her time in the detention center, she received numerous letters and had her university labmates read her books over the phone.
“This has been an extremely difficult time for me, my Tufts community, and Turkey. But I am extremely grateful for all of the help,” Ozturk said.
During a hearing on Friday, a federal judge in Vermont ordered Ozturk’s release on bail. Ozturk attended the hearing remotely from Louisiana, where she was detained. She was released later that afternoon after spending six weeks in the detention center.
“Thank you so much for all the support and love,” she told reporters shortly after her release.
Markey began by stating that Ozturk had made millions of people across the country proud.
“This is a victory for Rumeysa. This is a victory for justice. “It is a victory for our democracy,” Markey declared. “Let us not be misled into believing that we are different from Rumeysa.” That what she has had to go through would never happen to any of us. Her rights to due process and free speech are universal.”
“You are someone who is ultimately going to help our country understand what we stand for,” Markey told Ozturk during the interview.
Pressley became choked up while welcoming Ozturk home.
“We never forget about you. We will not rest until you are completely exonerated. Your visa has been restored, and you are free to continue your studies and community service,” Pressley stated.
Rumesya Ozturk released after 6 weeks in detention
During the Friday hearing, Ozturk and her lawyers claimed that her due process and First Amendment rights were violated when she was detained by plainclothes ICE officers in March.
U.S. District Judge William Sessions presided over the case, stating that the Trump administration had provided no evidence for her detention other than an op-ed she co-authored in the Tufts student newspaper last year. The op-ed centered on Israel’s war with Hamas.
The Trump administration claims that piece was the primary reason her student visa was revoked.
During the hearing, one of her lawyers stated that allowing her to stay in custody demonstrates that “you can be detained thousands of miles from your home for more than six weeks for writing a single news article.”
Ozturk has no criminal record and has not engaged in or encouraged violence, according to Sessions.
“There is no evidence as to the motivation, absent the consideration of the op-ed,” Sessions stated in court. “Very significant, substantial claim that the op-ed — that is, that the expression of one’s opinion as ordinarily protected by the First Amendment — formed the basis of this particular detention.”
Ozturk’s lawyers emphasized that her asthma had deteriorated while in detention and that she would face “significant health risks” if she remained there. She stated that she had had 12 asthma attacks since being placed in the detention center, each worsening in length and intensity during her stay. She had an asthma attack during the hearing and needed to be excused for 10 minutes.
The Trump administration had until May 14 to comply with a court order transferring Ozturk to Vermont. She is scheduled to appear in court in Vermont on May 22, where the judge will consider the standing of Ozturk’s challenge to her confinement.
Support for Ozturk
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and other Massachusetts leaders praised the decision on Friday.
“This court order confirms what we already knew – Rumeysa Ozturk’s detention was never about public safety,” Healey stated. “It was part of the Trump Administration’s campaign to silence those who disagree with them.”
“She can come home, she comes back to her community,” said Jessie Rossman, legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts.
A Tufts University spokesperson stated that they hope she will be able to rejoin them as soon as possible.
“[The school is] pleased that the court has approved Rumeysa’s request to be released on bail, and we look forward to welcoming her back to campus to resume her doctoral studies.”
Sunil Kumar, Tufts University President, has been outspoken in his support for Oztur’s release. The university community and surrounding areas have rallied in support of Ozturk, and numerous protests have taken place since her arrest.
Details about how Ozturk was detained
On March 25, masked plainclothes ICE officers detained Ozturk on a sidewalk in Somerville. She was on her way to the Tufts interfaith center to break her Ramadan fast with friends over an iftar dinner.
Surveillance video of her arrest was made available online. The video shows a neighbor asking, “Is this a kidnapping?”
In a court filing from early April, Ozturk stated that she feared for her life when she was arrested.
“I felt very scared and concerned as the men surrounded me and took my phone,” Ozturk said in a statement. “But I didn’t think they were the police because I had never seen police approach and take someone away like this,”
She stated that she was “sure they were going to kill me” and denied her request to speak with a lawyer.
A Massachusetts judge ordered ICE to keep her in the state shortly after her arrest, but she had already been transferred to Vermont and later flown to Basile, Louisiana.