US judge raises concerns about Trump administration's ongoing targeting of pro-Palestinian Tufts student

A federal judge expressed confusion Thursday over why a Tufts University PhD student involved in pro-Palestinian activism is still barred from working on campus, nearly seven months after her release from an immigration detention facility. The student, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national, had been detained after the U.S. government revoked her visa.

During a hearing in Boston, Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper questioned whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acted arbitrarily when it removed Ozturk from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a database tracking foreign students. This action followed Ozturk co-authoring an opinion piece in the Tufts student newspaper criticizing the universitys response to Israels conflict in Gaza.

What is the justification for giving the agency discretion to terminate the record? Judge Casper asked. Ozturks SEVIS record was terminated on March 25, the same day masked, plainclothes agents arrested her in Somerville, Massachusetts, after the Department of State revoked her student visa. The visa revocation was based solely on the opinion piece, which criticized Tufts handling of student calls to divest from companies linked to Israel and to recognize Palestinian suffering.

The former Fulbright scholar spent 45 days in a Louisiana detention center before a federal judge in Vermont ordered her release, ruling that her detention likely constituted unlawful retaliation for expressing her views, in violation of First Amendment free speech protections. Following her release, Ozturk returned to her studies at Tufts.

However, ICEs refusal to reinstate her SEVIS record has prevented Ozturk from teaching or working as a research assistant, threatening her academic and career progress in the final months before graduation, according to her attorney, Adriana Lafaille of the ACLU of Massachusetts. Lafaille urged the court to require ICE to restore Ozturks SEVIS status. While her visa remains revoked, Lafaille emphasized that this only affects her entry into the U.S. and does not nullify her student status.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Sauter argued that ICE has the authority to update SEVIS records when a students visa is revoked and the individual is under removal proceedings. Lafaille countered that the governments reasoning has shifted over time, in contrast with its reinstatement of SEVIS records for thousands of other foreign students in April.

This was one of several retaliatory actions the government took against Ms. Ozturk for her protected speech, Lafaille stated.

Analysis: The Ozturk Case and Academic Freedom

The ongoing situation involving Rumeysa Ozturk highlights a critical intersection of immigration enforcement and free speech protections. Nearly seven months after her release from detention, Ozturk remains barred from working on campus due to ICE's refusal to reinstate her SEVIS record, despite her return to Tufts University as a student.

Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper's questioning during the Boston hearing underscores the lack of clear justification for ICE's actions. The termination of Ozturk's SEVIS record coincided directly with her arrest and visa revocation, actions linked solely to her expression of opinions regarding Tufts' response to the conflict in Gaza. This raises concerns about potential retaliation against protected speech.

Ozturk's inability to serve as a research assistant or teach threatens her academic progress during a critical period before graduation. Legal arguments from her attorney stress that while her visa revocation affects entry into the U.S., it does not negate her status as a student. The case reflects broader questions about the balance between government authority over immigration records and the protection of First Amendment rights for foreign students on U.S. campuses.

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• US judge questions Trump administration's continued targeting of pro-Palestinian Tufts student

Author: Ava Mitchell
Ava Mitchell is a journalist covering culture, art, and literature. She is known for her creative approach and ability to produce in-depth features and interviews.