Court orders transfer of detained Tufts student Rümeysa Oztürk back to Vermont
- Rümeysa Oztürk has been detained for over six weeks after her visa was revoked.
- A federal appeals court has mandated her transfer back to Vermont for legal hearings.
- The case raises significant concerns over constitutional rights and freedom of speech for international students.
In the United States, a federal appeals court has ordered the transfer of Rümeysa Oztürk, a Turkish Tufts University doctoral student, from an immigration detention center in Louisiana back to Vermont for hearings regarding her alleged unlawful detention. Oztürk was detained on March 25, 2025, while walking in Somerville, Massachusetts, after her visa was revoked. Her detention followed the co-authorship of an op-ed that criticized Tufts University's response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, raising issues related to her First Amendment rights. Her attorneys argue that her detention is a violation of her constitutional rights as it stems from retaliation for exercising free speech rights. With the court ruling, she is expected to participate in bail hearings in Vermont, where her case will be examined. The case has sparked widespread discussion about immigrant students' rights and government actions against those critical of U.S. foreign policy.