(Bloomberg) — A PhD student at Tufts University who was critical of the war in Gaza will be able to fight US deportation in a Vermont federal court rather than in Louisiana, where she’s been held since last week.
The ruling Friday by US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston marks an early procedural win for Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish citizen and Fulbright Scholar whose visa was revoked as a result of her outspoken criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians.
Ozturk was snatched off the street by plainclothes officers outside her Somerville, Massachusetts, home on March 25 and quickly moved to Louisiana in what her lawyers say was a secretive attempt to get her case in a jurisdiction perceived to be friendlier to the Trump administration.
Ozturk had sought to keep her case in Boston or alternatively move it to Vermont, where she was briefly held before being transported to Louisiana. The judge on Friday denied a government motion to dismiss the case and extended an earlier order saying Ozturk can’t be moved outside the US until her case is resolved by the Vermont federal court.
A lawyer for the third-year doctoral student had urged the judge to keep the legal fight in Boston, near where Ozturk lives and studies. At a hearing Thursday, her lawyer accused immigration agents of “secretly whisking her away and making sure nobody knew where she was until she was in Louisiana.”
Casper had previously ordered Ozturk to remain in Boston, but she was already en route to Louisiana. A lawyer for the Justice Department said the matter had been handled appropriately and argued the case must be handled in the state where Ozturk is being held.
Ozturk was detained as she was leaving her off-campus apartment to attend an Iftar dinner — the fast-breaking evening meal for Muslims during the month of Ramadan — at an interfaith center, according to Tufts. Video of the incident has been widely viewed after being made public.
“Her research focuses on how young adults can use social media in positive, prosocial ways and she is described by her faculty as a hard-working student dedicated to her studies and the Tufts community,” Tufts said in an April 2 statement in support of Ozturk’s legal case. “The University has no information to support the allegations that she was engaged in activities at Tufts that warrant her arrest and detention.”
Tufts confirmed in the statement that Ozturk co-authored an opinion piece in March 2024 that called on the university to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and “divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.” Tufts said the piece didn’t violate any university policies.
The case is Ozturk v. Hyde, 25-cv-10695, US District Court, District of Massachusetts (Boston).
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