Tufts University Student Detained for Writing Op-Ed in Student Newspaper

A Turkish PhD student has been denied bond by an immigration judge after being detained on March 25 for co-authoring a pro-Palestine campus newspaper article. Rümeysa Öztürk, who had been studying at Tufts University, was seized by plainclothes ICE agents last month on her way home from a dinner. The basis for her detention is an article she wrote for a campus newspaper, The Tufts Daily, last year, criticizing the university’s response to pro-Palestine demonstrations. After being detained in Massachusetts, Öztürk was brought to a Louisiana detention facility, where she has been held ever since – all without being charged with any crime. On April 16, a judge denied a request for her to be released on bond, meaning she is not allowed to be released from custody, even if a bail amount is paid. Öztürk is part of a long list of individuals connected to American universities who have had their visas revoked due to the Trump administration’s aggressive stance in targeting pro-Palestine demonstrations. In late March, secretary of state Marco Rubio boasted that the state department had canceled at least 300 student visas in relation to pro-Palestine protests. The number has more than doubled since.
Lawyers say the Department of Homeland Security presented one document to support their opposition to Öztürk’s bond request: a one-paragraph State Department memo revoking her student visa, citing her involvement in associations “that may undermine U.S. foreign policy.” The Department of Homeland Security has stood by their position, stating that “being granted a visa to live and study in the United States is a privilege, not a right … The State Department makes specific determinations about visa revocations when an individual poses a threat to national security.” On April 16, an immigration judge denied bond on the basis of Öztürk being a “flight risk” and a “danger to the community.”
Öztürk’s attorneys believe her detention violates her Fifth Amendment right to due process, and that deportation would infringe on her First Amendment right to free speech. The legal team is seeking to either have her released on bail or transferred to Vermont from Louisiana. Esha Bhandari, an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union representing Öztürk, has publicly spoken out against the situation saying, “It’s fully constitutionally protected speech, no crimes at all… if this is allowed, anyone could be punished for anything they say… it’s simply unconstitutional to keep her in detention for this.” When it comes to the visa termination process, Bhandari said that Öztürk, like other similarly targeted individuals, had “no opportunity to protect her rights” before the government changed her legal status. Öztürk’s attorneys have expressed additional concerns about her declining health. Since being detained, Öztürk has suffered six asthma attacks. Officers dismissed one episode as “all in her mind” and medical staff have reportedly provided no treatment.