Turkish Student to Be Moved to Vermont After Court Ruling
Court Orders Transfer of Doctoral Student
A federal appeals court in New York has ruled that Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, must be transferred from a detention facility in Louisiana to Vermont. The court gave the Trump administration one week to comply with the order.
The three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stated that Vermont was the likely proper venue to handle Öztürk’s case because she was physically present there when she filed her habeas petition.
Öztürk’s Detention and Accusations
Öztürk has been detained since March 25th when she was arrested on the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts by six federal immigration agents. The Department of Homeland Security alleges that she engaged in activities supporting Hamas. This stems from an opinion essay she wrote in a university paper last year criticizing the school’s response to student senate resolutions regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Her attorneys argue that her detention violates her free speech and due process rights, emphasizing that the government has not presented any evidence of her supporting terrorism. Öztürk has not been charged with any crime.
ACLU Responds and DHS Statement
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), representing Öztürk in court, expressed relief at the court’s decision, stating that no one should be imprisoned for their political views. Esha Bhandari from the ACLU said, “We’re grateful the court refused the government’s attempt to keep her isolated from her community and her legal counsel as she pursues her case for release.”
In response to the ruling, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that having a visa to study in the U.S. is a privilege, not a right, and that the government will continue to pursue the detention and removal of individuals deemed to have no right to be in the country.
Legal Arguments and Health Concerns
The Trump administration had claimed that Öztürk and other students were sent to Louisiana due to a lack of detention space in facilities closer to their arrest locations. However, a federal judge in Massachusetts had previously ruled that detention beds were available in Maine, a state closer to Vermont than Louisiana.
Legal experts have pointed out that fighting deportation is more challenging in Louisiana than in Vermont. Any appeal from Louisiana would be handled by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, known for its conservative leanings.
Öztürk’s attorneys have highlighted her health concerns, stating that she suffers from asthma that has worsened in detention.
Part of a Broader Pattern
Öztürk’s case is part of a larger pattern of the Trump administration targeting international students for expressing views deemed supportive of terrorism or creating a hostile environment for Jewish students.
A federal judge in Vermont will hold Öztürk’s bail hearing on Friday.
