Federal Judge Moves Immigration Case of Tufts Student to Vermont Court
In a significant decision on Friday, a federal judge ruled that the immigration detention case of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University student from Turkey, will be transferred to a court in Vermont. This ruling comes as the government had requested that proceedings occur in Louisiana, where Ozturk is currently detained.
Ozturk, a legal resident on a student visa, was detained as part of a controversial initiative by the Trump administration aimed at targeting antisemitic activism on college campuses. During a hearing on Thursday, attorney Adriana Lafaille from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argued that the government covertly moved Ozturk from Massachusetts to Louisiana without informing her legal team of her whereabouts. Lafaille suggested this relocation was an attempt by the government to gain favor in a more conservative court, as Louisiana has one of the country’s most conservative appeals courts.
In defense of their actions, government lawyers claimed that Ozturk was transferred due to a lack of available accommodations for female detainees in New England and denied any intention to conceal her location.
U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper emphasized in her ruling that the Vermont court is the appropriate venue since Ozturk was being held there at the time her legal representatives, unaware of her actual location, filed a petition for her release in Boston. Generally, such petitions should be filed in the jurisdiction where the individual is detained, further solidifying the judge’s decision to move the case. The ruling marks a crucial step in the ongoing legal battle for Ozturk’s freedom.
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