Tufts University student, Rümeysa Öztürk, who faced detention by U.S. immigration authorities, has been granted protection against deportation without a court order, as ruled by a U.S. judge on Friday. Öztürk, a 30-year-old Fulbright scholar and doctoral student in the U.S., was detained by masked, plainclothes officers on Tuesday, an incident captured on surveillance footage that went viral. Öztürk is threatened with deportation to Turkey and is accused of supporting Hamas, though no evidence has been presented to substantiate these claims. Her legal team, including the American Civil Liberties Union, argue that her arrest seems to be a retaliation for an opinion piece she co-wrote advocating for the acknowledgment of the Palestinian genocide and the divestment from companies tied to Israel. Following a filing by her lawyers, US district judge Denise Casper ordered that Öztürk may not be removed from the country without further court proceedings and directed the government to respond to her claims by Tuesday, emphasizing that no charges have been brought against her. Rümeysa’s detention has sparked widespread outrage, with supporters arguing her civil rights have been infringed upon and calling for her release to continue her studies.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/28/rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-ice