A federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to return a Turkish university student back to Vermont after they were detained in March and swiftly moved to an immigration detention facility in Louisiana.
A three-judge panel with the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled Wednesday that the federal government has a deadline of one week to facilitate the transfer of Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old doctorate student at Tufts University.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Turkish student at Tufts University detained, video shows masked people handcuffing her
Ozturk was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Massachusetts six weeks ago after being informed that her student visa had been revoked. She was then rapidly transferred to Vermont and then to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana within a 24-hour period.
The arrest came after Ozturk was one of four students who authored an op-ed last year criticizing Tufts University's response to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The article largely supported the people in Gaza and some perceived it as anti-Semitic rhetoric in support of Hamas — which the U.S. has labeled a foreign terrorist organization.
Ozturk's legal team contends that she is only being penalized because of that op-ed and claims the government is infringing on her right to free speech. Her attorneys also argued that she needs to be transferred back north to be closer to her family and legal support.
RELATED STORY | Tufts says it had no prior knowledge of plans for authorities to detain student
"No one should be arrested and locked up for their political views. Every day that Rumeysa Ozturk remains in detention is a day too long," said Esha Bhandari, deputy director for the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. "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."
It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will appeal the lower court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
