Post by : Rameen Ariff

A federal court in the United States has ordered the restoration of Rumeysa Ozturk’s student visa record, months after the Tufts University doctoral student was released from immigration detention. Ozturk, who was detained for speaking out against Israel’s war on Gaza, will now have her name reinstated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a key database managed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that tracks foreign students.

United States District Judge Denise Casper delivered the interim ruling on Monday, directing the Trump administration to reinstate Ozturk’s record. The decision allows her to resume her doctoral research in childhood development and media at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, and participate fully in her academic program, her lawyers confirmed.

Ozturk, who came to the United States as a Fulbright scholar from Turkiye, said her SEVIS record was “unlawfully cancelled” because she co-authored an op-ed advocating for equality and humanity for all. “After eight long months, that record will now finally be restored,” she said, adding that her detention highlighted broader threats to educational rights, especially in conflict zones like Gaza.

She recalled the ordeal, which began with her arrest on March 25 and included 45 days in a for-profit ICE detention center in Louisiana, as “brutal.” She also noted the devastating impact of ongoing conflict in Gaza, saying, “Countless scholars have been murdered, and universities have been intentionally destroyed.”

Ozturk was among four Tufts students who published an article in the Tufts Daily on March 26, 2024, calling on the university to recognize the Palestinian genocide and to disclose investments linked to Israel. The Trump administration had revoked her visa, accusing her of supporting Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, a claim her lawyers and supporters have disputed.

Jessie Rossman, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts, one of Ozturk’s legal representatives, welcomed the ruling. “Ms Ozturk came to Massachusetts as a scholar to study childhood development and the media, and we all benefit when she is able to fully participate in her doctoral program,” Rossman said, highlighting the importance of protecting academic freedom.

Although Ozturk and many other pro-Palestinian students arrested for activism have been released, legal and immigration challenges remain for some. Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student, continues to face immigration-related legal issues, while Leqaa Kordia, a 32-year-old Palestinian participant in Columbia University protests, remains detained months after her arrest, according to Amnesty International.

Ozturk’s case underscores the ongoing tensions between the US government and foreign students advocating for human rights, and the court’s ruling is seen as a critical affirmation of student rights and academic freedom in the United States.

#Global News