A Turkish Tufts graduate student has been dealt a crushing blow as an immigration judge denied her bond and ordered her to remain in jail as her case proceeds.
Rümeysa Ozturk, 30, was dramatically detained by ICE last month after being accused of'engaging in activities in support of Hamas-a Palestinian group recognized by the US government as a 'foreign terrorist organization.'
Her lawyers say the accusations against her are retaliation for an op-ed piece she co-wrote in the Tufts University student newspaper.
They had asked that Ozturke released on bond as her immigration case proceeds. That judge denied her request Wednesday, the same day Ozturk had a hearing, they said in a statement released Thursday morning.
The Department of Homeland Security presented one document to support their opposition to Ozturk’s bond request: a one-paragraph State Department memo revoking her student visa, her lawyers said in the new court filing.
The memo says that Ozturk’s visa was revoked on March 21 following an assessment that she had been involved in associations 'that may undermine US foreign policy by creating a hostile environment for Jewish students and indicating support for a designated terrorist organization.'
Prosecutors cited the op-ed, which they claimed 'found common cause with an organization that was later temporarily banned from campus.'
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30,detailed the hellish conditions inside the infamous Louisiana immigration detention center she is being held at
Ozturk, a doctoral student studying child development, was taken by immigration officials as she walked along a street in the Boston suburb of Somerville on March 25
Ozturk's arrest footage sparked backlash as video showed her being surrounded by six undercover ICE agents
In the op-ed. the student branded Israel's bombing of Gaza as a 'genocide' and for the college to divest from Israeli investments, but no further details of 'Hamas-supporting activities' have been shared.
Ozturk, a doctoral student studying child development, was taken by immigration officials as she walked along a street in the Boston suburb of Somerville on March 25.
Ozturk's arrest footage sparked backlash as video showed her being surrounded by six undercover ICE agents, who handcuffed her and took her into a vehicle as she walked to a meal with friends.
After being taken to New Hampshire and then Vermont, she was put on a plane the next day and moved to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Basile, Louisiana.
'The government’s entire case against Rümeysa is based on the same one-paragraph memo from the State Department to ICE that just points back to Rümeysa’s op-ed,' Marty Rosenbluth, one of Ozturk’s attorneys, said in a statement.
Ozturk’s lawyers say her detention violates her constitutional rights, including free speech and due process. They said they didn’t know for hours where she was after she was taken.
They said they were unable to speak to her until more than 24 hours after she was detained. Ozturk herself said she unsuccessfully made multiple requests to speak to a lawyer.
Ozturk is among several people with ties to American universities whose visas were revoked or have been stopped from entering the US after they were accused of attending demonstrations or publicly expressed support for Palestinians.
In Louisiana, an immigration judge has ruled that the US can deport Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil based on the federal government’s argument that he poses a national security risk.
Ozturk alleged once she was put in the Louisiana facility, she was not allowed to go outside during the first week and had limited access to food and supplies
In recent court filings, Ozturk claimed her detention violates her constitutional rights and she has been living in horrible conditions.
Ozturk alleged once she was put in the Louisiana facility, she was not allowed to go outside during the first week and had limited access to food and supplies for two weeks.
'When they do the inmate count we are threatened to not leave our beds or we will lose privileges, which means that we are often stuck waiting in our beds for hours,' she said.
'At mealtimes, there is so much anxiety because there is no schedule when it comes... They threaten to close the door if we don't leave the room in time, meaning we won't get a meal.'
'I pray everyday for my release so I can go back to my home and community in Somerville,' she said.
The Tufts student said she suffered multiple asthma attacks and had limited care at the medical center.
Ozturk’s lawyers have filed a new request with a federal judge in Vermont considering whether to take jurisdiction of her detention case. The lawyers asked the judge to order her to be brought to the state by Friday and hold a hearing next week. They said that would allow better communication with her legal team and a doctor to evaluate her.
