Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Tufts student detained by ICE releases statement while lawyers argue jurisdiction
Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, was arrested by plainclothes federal agents on a Somerville sidewalk last week.
As her lawyers made their arguments in court Thursday, Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts University student detained by ICE agents, made her first public statement, addressing her op-ed that made her a target of the Trump Administration.
Öztürk, who is represented in part by the American Civil Liberties Union, was detained by ICE agents outside an off-campus apartment building in Somerville last Tuesday night.
Öztürk, a former Fulbright Scholar pursuing her PhD in the university’s Child Study and Human Development department, was leaving her apartment to break her Ramadan fast.
Advertisement:
“I am a Ph.D. student working with children and youth,” Öztürk said in a statement dictated to her attorney. “We know that injustice in the world and systemic brutality towards people of color has long-lasting negative effects on children, youth, and other communities. My life is committed to choosing peaceful and inclusive ways to meet the needs of children. I believe the world is a more beautiful and peaceful place when we listen to each other and allow different perspectives to be in the room.”
Her lawyer said Öztürk, a Turkish national, was “maintaining valid F-1 status” while at Tufts. The Trump administration has said it revoked her visa for allegedly supporting Hamas, although it has not publicized any evidence to support that claim.
Advertisement:
Öztürk was sent to Louisiana despite an order to keep her in the state, and a judge has ordered that she not be moved from the country at this time. She has not been charged with or accused of any crime, her lawyers said.
Öztürk’s lawyers say she was targeted because Öztürk and other members of “Graduate Students for Palestine” criticized how university officials responded to resolutions passed by the Tufts Community Union Senate in a Tufts Daily op-ed. The op-ed did not mention Hamas.
“Writing is one of the most peaceful ways of addressing systemic inequality,” Öztürk’s statement continued. “Efforts to target me because of my op-ed in the Tufts Daily calling for the equal dignity and humanity of all people will not deter me from my commitment to advocate for the rights of youth and children.”
Lawyers continue to argue jurisdiction in federal court Thursday
Oztürk’s lawyers argued in court Thursday against federal prosecutors about the jurisdiction of the case, according to The Boston Globe. The federal judge has to decide whether their court can get involved in litigation typically resolved in federal immigration court.
Advertisement:
The prosecution also hopes to move the trial to Louisiana, so the judge will rule on whether Oztürk’s case will remain in Massachusetts.
In court filings filed Wednesday, federal officials conceded that Oztürk can challenge the revocation of her visa and her detention, but said the argument should be heard in immigration court, according to documents obtained by the Globe.
Carol Rose, the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said “We are asking the court to affirm that Ms. Öztürk’s case belongs in Massachusetts — near her friends, community, and legal counsel.”
“The government quietly and quickly hopscotched Ms. Öztürk across multiple states in a concerted effort to evade accountability. She never should have been grabbed from her street in Somerville and secretly moved over 1,300 miles away from her community,” Rose said.
Outside the courthouse, dozens of people protested for her release, according to the Globe. Tufts leaders and Somerville city officials have called for her Öztürk’s release. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu spoke at a rally Tuesday, denouncing the Trump administration’s crackdown on visa holders with connections to pro-Palestine protests.
Advertisement:
Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, along with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, issued a statement Thursday calling for Öztürk’s release and alleging that she has not been receiving adequate medical care while detained. Her lawyer told the lawmakers that Öztürk has not received her asthma medications and has had three asthma attacks while in custody.
“Her ongoing incarceration is not only a blatant violation of her constitutional rights to due process and free speech, but it is now an egregious denial of her fundamental right to medical care,” their joint statement said. “Every minute she remains in custody is another minute her health and rights are at risk, and (the Department of Homeland Security) must move with urgency.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com