Özturk v. Trump
What's at Stake
Whether someone with a valid visa within the U.S. can be arrested and detained on the basis of their political speech and advocacy.
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Summary
On March 25, 2025, Rümeysa Öztürk, a PhD student and Fulbright scholar, was on her way to break her Ramadan fast with friends when she was grabbed, arrested, and detained by several plainclothes federal immigration agents. Her arrest and detention appear to be based solely on the fact that she co-authored an op-ed in her school newspaper that criticized Tufts University’s response to several student Senate resolutions concerning human rights violations in Gaza. She was on a valid student visa, and has not been charged with any crime.
Emergency filings on Tuesday led to a court order that Ms. Özturk must not be removed from Massachusetts without prior notice. Yet, ICE officials transferred her to Louisiana without notifying the court or either counsel. For nearly 24 hours, Ms. Öztürk’s legal team was unable to locate her. Government counsel later informed her that she was transferred to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana – over 1,300 miles from Ms. Öztürk’s home in Boston. While in transit, Ms. Öztürk suffered an asthma attack, which her friends had been worried about as she did not have her medication.
On the morning of March 28th, her legal team filed an amended habeas petition and complaint, challenging her unconstitutional detention by ICE as a violation of her free speech and due process rights. It requests the court order her immediate return to Massachusetts and release from custody.
Her legal team includes the ACLU, ACLU of Massachusetts, CLEAR, Emery Celli Abady Brinckerhoff Ward & Maazel LLP, and Mahsa Khanbabai.