A federal judge in Vermont has approved the release on bail for a Tufts University student who was being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Judge William K. Sessions III, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, agreed to Rümeysa Öztürk’s bail request on Friday. He noted that her detention involves serious concerns regarding due process and the First Amendment. Öztürk, currently in the U.S. on a student visa, is not a U.S. citizen.
Sessions ordered her immediate release, concluding that she poses no danger to the community and is not likely to flee. He also stated he wants updates upon her release and will consider any minor restrictions ICE might propose for Öztürk.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Öztürk in court, told Fox News Digital in a statement they are pleased with the ruling.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old doctoral student at Tufts University, is detained by Department of Homeland Security agents on a street in Sommerville, Mass., on Tuesday, March 25. (AP)
“Rümeysa can now return to her beloved Tufts community, resume her studies, and begin teaching again. We could not be more delighted,” said Noor Zafar, senior staff attorney with ACLU. “Today’s ruling underscores a vital First Amendment principle: No one should be imprisoned by the government for expressing their beliefs.”
Rumeysa Ozturk on an apple-picking trip in 2021. (AP)
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News on Wednesday that Ozturk was “granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa” and that “DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.” (AP)
Öztürk was detained by ICE agents on March 26. Federal officials previously accused Öztürk of supporting Hamas.
Öztürk co-authored an article in the Tufts student newspaper calling on the institution to divest from Israel and criticized its response to the Israel-Hamas war.
This is a developing story.
