Federal Judge Orders Tufts University International Doctoral Student to be Returned to Vermont for Bail Hearing
Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University international doctoral student, has been ordered by a federal judge to be returned to Vermont from Louisiana, where she is currently in immigration custody. This decision by Vermont federal district judge William Sessions III is the first time a judge has directed the federal government to transfer a detained student back to their home district from Louisiana, where some detained students have been relocated as part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
The court order states that Öztürk has raised significant constitutional concerns regarding her arrest and detention, which warrant further examination. The judge has instructed the government to transfer Öztürk to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Vermont by May 1, where a bail hearing will take place.
The decision represents a setback for the Trump administration’s Department of Justice, which has sought to transfer cases to Louisiana where student activists are currently detained. The government has yet to provide evidence to substantiate the allegations against Öztürk, who has not been charged with any crime.
Öztürk’s attorneys have argued that her arrest was retaliatory and violated her First Amendment rights, as it was based on an op-ed critical of Tufts University’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. The federal court in Vermont has asserted jurisdiction over Öztürk’s case, rejecting the Department of Justice’s claims that the immigration court in Louisiana should handle the matter.
The ACLU of Massachusetts, representing Öztürk, has welcomed the ruling as a step towards upholding the rule of law and ensuring fair treatment for the detained student.
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