A federal judge in Massachusetts on Friday blocked the government from deporting a Tufts University graduate student who was arrested this week by immigration officers and had her visa revoked.
Rumeysa Ozturk's deportation has been blocked while U.S. District Judge Denise Casper determines whether she has jurisdiction over the case, according to the order.
"This is a first step in getting Rumeysa released and back home to Boston so she can continue her studies," Ozturk's attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, said in a statement Friday. "But we never should have gotten here in the first place: Rumeysa’s experience is shocking, cruel, and unconstitutional."
Khanbabai filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in Massachusetts federal court Tuesday to release Ozturk.
Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish national with a valid F-1 student visa as a doctoral student at the Massachusetts school, was on her way to meet friends for iftar, a meal that breaks the day-time fast observed by Muslims during Ramadan, when she was detained on Tuesday evening, Khanbabai said in a statement Thursday.
Khanbabai alleged in the statement that federal officers are intentionally targeting Muslim students during the holy month of Ramadan.
“This appears to be a pattern — ICE stalking Muslim students as they are heading to or from iftar to break their fast,” Khanbabai said. She added that Ozturk was being unlawfully targeted because she co-authored a March 2024 op-ed article about Palestine.
Khanbabai said the video of her client's arrest — which was published and seen around the world on Wednesday — shows the moment Department of Homeland Security agents "grabbed at her clothes, her hands, and her backpack before detaining her and taking her to an unknown location, in an unmarked car."
“Nothing in this video indicates that these are law enforcement agents and from which agency. This video should shake everyone to their core," she added. "We should all be horrified at the way DHS spirited away Rumeysa in broad daylight."
Khanbabai also said that Ozturk was sent to an ICE processing center in Louisiana — just like high-profile Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who remains there — "despite a federal court order that she not be removed from Massachusetts."
Khanbabai said Friday that she was unable to locate her client for “nearly 24 hours” even though a court order was in place preventing the government from moving Ozturk out of Massachusetts. She said they later learned the government had moved Ozturk to Louisiana.
Jessie Rossman, a legal director at the ACLU-Massachusetts called the decision halting Ozturk's deportation a “critical next step” to ensure she is returned to her home.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ozturk is a PhD student in child study and human development and a Fulbright scholar. She also holds a master’s degree from Teachers College at Columbia University.
Since her arrest, a group of lawmakers has been calling for Ozturk's immediate release. These include 10 senators and 18 House members, who released a joint letter Friday morning.
The letter, sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, asked why Ozturk and many others have been targeted.
"We are calling for full due process in this case and are seeking answers about this case and about ICE’s policy that has led to the identification and arrest of university students with valid legal status," the letter said.
Referring to a string of similar incidents in recent weeks — some 300 visas have been revoked including that of many students linked to political activism — the lawmakers said: "These are deeply troubling incidents. The Administration should not summarily detain and deport legal residents of this country merely for expressing their political views."
The letter asks Noem and ICE a series of questions, including why Ozturk was arrested and under what authority her visa was revoked.
"DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News.
The statement continued: "A visa is a privilege not a right. Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security."
CORRECTION (March 28, 2025, 9:10 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article used incorrect pronouns for Mahsa Khanbabai. They are she and her, not he and him.
