FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Emily Hagan-Howe, Communications Director, ACLU of Vermont; 802-223-6304 x121, [email protected]
Burlington, VT – In court documents filed on April 10, attorneys for Tufts University Ph.D. student Rümeysa Öztürk argued for Vermont district court Judge William K. Sessions III to confirm that Vermont has jurisdiction in this case and order her immediate release from an ICE detention center in Louisiana.
Ms. Öztürk was taken into federal custody by six ICE agents in Somerville, MA, on March 25. That evening, she was driven to Methuen, MA; then, to Lebanon, NH; and, ultimately, to St. Albans, VT, where she spent the night in an ICE detention cell. In the early hours of the next morning, she was transported to Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport and flown to Louisiana. Because her habeas petition was filed while she was physically in the state of Vermont, a district court judge in Massachusetts ruled on April 4 that Vermont district court was the most appropriate venue for the case.
Oral arguments are scheduled for Monday, April 14, at 9:30 AM and will take place in the U.S. District Court building in Burlington, VT. Remote access is also available via Zoom, please see details additional below.
Lia Ernst, Legal Director, ACLU of Vermont: “Arguing against human rights violations or criticizing a university for its response to student activism is neither illegal nor a reason for detention. The Trump administration cannot order ICE to silence people who hold political opinions they disagree with. We are urging the court to intervene on Ms. Öztürk’s behalf as soon as possible so she can return to her community in Somerville.”
Footage of Ozturk’s abduction by ICE agents raised significant alarm throughout the country in the 18 days since her arrest. Six plainclothes agents—some of whom wore hooded sweatshirts or face coverings, and most of whom had obscured identification badges—quickly closed in on her near her apartment in Somerville before she attended an iftar dinner.
According to all available evidence, the government inflicted this ordeal on Ms. Öztürk solely because of an op-ed that she wrote for a student newspaper last spring regarding the university’s response to activism on campus.
Jessie Rossman, Legal Director, ACLU of Massachusetts: “Everyone should read the op-ed that Rümeysa co-authored in her student newspaper and then watch the footage of her abduction by ICE agents. The stark contrast between the two is shocking. That single op-ed is the only basis for Rümeysa’s continued detention. She has now been imprisoned in Louisiana for over two weeks without any reasonable justification. Rümeysa’s arrest, transport, and detention are appalling and unlawful violations of her constitutional rights, and we are therefore urging the court to order her immediate release.”
In a letter of support submitted to the Court, the president of Tufts University notes that Öztürk’s op-ed was within the bounds of the school’s code of conduct and describes her as a respected and valued member of the campus community whose detention has deeply shaken international students, staff, and faculty at Tufts. A coalition of Jewish organizations represented by David Wright Tremaine LLP, including J Street, Bend the Arc, JALSA, and Temple Emanu-El, has also come to Ms. Öztürk’s defense, submitting a proposed amicus brief on her behalf to the Court.
Mahsa Khanbabai, Khanbabai Immigration Law: “Rumeysa’s case is about whether a person in this country is allowed to speak out in support of human rights for all and oppose war crimes against children. Rumeysa is a vehement advocate for children; she has always been and she will always be. We will fight every single day until she is rightfully returned to her home in Massachusetts so she can continue her research and her work for all children, everywhere.
Noor Zafar, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project: “Deportation and detention cannot be based on dissent. The federal government’s efforts strip the rights and humanity of those whose speech they disagree with have reached new heights over the last several weeks. No matter where, when, or how the federal government seeks to deny our freedom, the ACLU and our allies will be there to fight back.”
Rümeysa is represented by Mahsa Khanbabai, the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Massachusetts, ACLU of Vermont, CLEAR, and Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP.
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