Rumeysa Ozturk’s plane touched down in Boston on Saturday evening, concluding a six-week ordeal for the student who was in federal custody, which sparked significant public outcry regarding President Trump’s immigration policies.
Her return to Massachusetts, where she was arrested in March, followed a federal judge's order in Vermont for her immediate release from a detention facility in Louisiana.
Ms. Ozturk, a Turkish citizen studying at Tufts University on a student visa, was among over a thousand international students whose visas were revoked by the federal government, facing potential deportation. This action was part of the Trump administration's broader initiative to address concerns over antisemitism in higher education.
She had previously authored an opinion piece in the student newspaper that criticized the university’s response to pro-Palestinian demands. Supporters have denied allegations of antisemitism, asserting that her detention was a retaliatory act against her exercise of free speech.
On Saturday, friends and former professors expressed a mix of joy at her release and sorrow that Ms. Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar known for her dedication to her studies, had been detained at all. One of her former professors described her as “one of the most humanistic, compassionate, and kindhearted people” he had ever known, highlighting her sensitive nature as reflected in her undergraduate thesis on death in children’s literature.
On Friday, Judge William K. Sessions III of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont remarked that her detention could potentially suppress the speech of many individuals in the country who are not citizens. He noted that the government had not presented any evidence beyond the pro-Palestinian opinion essay co-authored by Ms. Ozturk, despite accusations of her supporting Hamas.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.