Rümeysa Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, is fighting for her release after weeks in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, which she describes as unsanitary, isolating, and unsafe.
Öztürk, 30, originally from Turkey, was arrested near her Somerville, Massachusetts home in late March by masked officers who didn’t identify themselves until after she was restrained.
She was detained under accusations of supporting Hamas, though a State Department memo cited by The Washington Post reportedly found no link between her and any terrorist or antisemitic activity.
Öztürk says her arrest felt more like a kidnapping. Officers shackled her feet and belly, denied her food during her Ramadan fast, and moved her through four states without allowing her to speak to her lawyer.
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She suffered multiple asthma attacks in custody, once while being transferred through Atlanta, but says her medication was delayed or unavailable.
After days of transfers, she ended up over 1,500 miles away in the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she says medical care was inadequate, her headscarf was forcibly removed, and the air triggered more asthma episodes.
Her lawyers, supported by the ACLU, are urging a Vermont federal judge to rule that the court has jurisdiction and to release her immediately. They argue she is not a flight risk and poses no threat.
Öztürk had only nine months left to complete her doctorate in child development. A Fulbright alum and Columbia graduate, she had big plans—presenting research, mentoring students, and finishing her dissertation. Instead, she’s stuck in detention, missing her community, her work, and her future.
“I pray every day for my release,” she wrote. “I just want to go home.”
The court will hear arguments Monday on whether she should be freed—and where her legal battle will continue.
