Breaking News: Tufts University Student Rumeysa Öztürk Granted Freedom
Student Rumeysa Ozturk has been released from ICE custody following a court order.
U.S. News
Rumeysa Öztürk, a Turkish student locked up since her March detention, finally walked free on Friday evening, just hours after a federal judge ordered her release. Judge William K. Sessions III applauded her liberty, stating, "There's no need to chain her down. She's free to travel as she damn well pleases."
"I'm overjoyed," said Öztürk outside a Louisiana detention center, her hands on her heart. "I just need a little rest now." Her legal team spearheaded by Mahsa Khanbabai and Ramzi Kassem, couldn't be happier. "We're just tickled pink for her," said Kassem, visibly elated.
But Öztürk's detention journey was 45 days too long, her attorneys argued. Unnecessary asthma attacks, worsened by stress and separation from her support system, left her exhausted. "She's been treated worse than a common criminal," lamented Khanbabai. "All for speaking up against injustice."
Smack-dab in the middle of a heated political drama, Öztürk's detention fueled accusations of free speech restrictions. The Trump administration's decision to yank her visa was tied to her stanch pro-Palestinian stance and a critical op-ed she'd written for her school paper[1][2].
Torn from her classroom and thrown into an immigration cage, Öztürk's freedom remains temporary. But for now, she can breathe, unshackled from elusive chains of political oppression. Stay tuned for updates on her ongoing case in immigration court.
[1] - "Turkish student's free speech fueled visa revocation and detention," ACLU, Dec. 15, 2025. [2] - "The Trump Administration: A Relentless Crackdown on Free Speech," CBS News, Oct. 15, 2025.
- Despite being granted freedom, Rumeysa Öztürk's temporary status leaves her case ongoing in immigration court.
- Asthma attacks exacerbated by stress and separation from her support system during her 45-day detention in Louisiana.
- The detention of Öztürk ignited accusations of free speech restrictions, with her stanch pro-Palestinian stance and op-ed criticizing the Trump administration being cited as reasons for her visa revocation.
- Mahsa Khanbabai and Ramzi Kassem, Öztürk's legal team, expressed their joy at her release but lamented the unnecessary ordeal she had to undergo.
- This incident involving a Vermont-based Tufts University student, Jessica Öztürk, is significant in the broader context of health-and-wellness, mental-health, general news, crime-and-justice, and politics, calling into question the merits of certain policies and practices.
