US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Effort to Deport Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk

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A US immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to deport Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, after ruling that the Department of Homeland Security failed to prove she should be removed from the United States. Her case drew attention after she was detained following pro-Palestinian activism.

Judge Terminates Deportation Proceedings

A United States immigration judge has halted deportation proceedings against Rumeysa Ozturk, according to her legal team. The judge ruled that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not meet the legal burden required to show she was removable under immigration law.

Lawyers confirmed the decision in a filing to the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals, stating the case against her was formally terminated in late January.

Arrest Linked to Pro-Palestinian Advocacy

Ozturk, a Turkish national and Tufts University PhD student researching children and social media, was arrested last year during a broader crackdown on foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian activism.

Authorities revoked her visa citing an editorial she co-authored in a Tufts student newspaper that criticized her university’s response to Israel’s war on Gaza. Video footage at the time showed masked agents detaining her and placing her into an unmarked vehicle.

Earlier Federal Court Ordered Her Release

Her lawyers challenged the detention in federal court. A judge later ordered her release after finding her claim credible that the detention may have been unlawful retaliation tied to free speech protections.

Ozturk spent about 45 days in a Louisiana immigration detention facility before being released and returning to campus.

Appeal Now Effectively Ended

The federal government had appealed her release order, but the immigration judge’s latest ruling terminating removal proceedings significantly weakens the deportation effort for now.

Her legal team says the decision confirms that the government failed to provide sufficient grounds for deportation.

Why the Case Matters

The case has become a focal point in debates over immigration enforcement, campus activism, and free speech rights in the United States — particularly involving foreign students participating in political advocacy.



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