Rümeysa Öztürk is a Turkish PhD student at Georgia Tech and a former Fulbright scholar. ICE has now detained her, after she penned an op-ed with other student activists in her campus newspaper decrying the brutality inflicted on Gaza. Her detention began on March 25, outside her home in Newton, Massachusetts. This imperfect and alarming reality has raised significant first amendment and immigrant rights concerns.
The op-ed, which is publicly accessible, reportedly found “common cause with an organization that was later temporarily banned from campus.” In addition, Öztürk’s visa was revoked by the U.S. Department of State. They determined that their case rested on her participation in the posting. Without any due process, she was placed under arrest. After being crisscrossed through three states, she ultimately landed at a detention center in Louisiana.
Öztürk’s federal case has been advanced to April 23. Her attorneys, who would like to see her released immediately, are already appealing the decision. They have asked that she be sent back into detention in Vermont by this Friday. The legal team argues that her detention infringes upon her constitutional right to free speech.
Esha Bhandari, attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union underscored the far-reaching effects of Öztürk’s case stating, “None of them even show anything beyond what was written in the op-ed.” Her stark assessment sheds light on the obvious untenability of her detention. Bhandari pushed back hard, framing this speech as clearly protected by the Constitution. He further cautioned that if this were permitted, no one would be safe from being penalized for whatever they post.
We’ll keep you updated as Öztürk’s story unfolds. As of today, her ongoing detention has resulted in at least six asthma attacks, raising alarming questions about her health and safety while in detention. An immigration judge upheld her denial of bond a few days ago, calling her a “flight risk” and “danger to the community.”
“It’s simply unconstitutional to keep her in detention for this,” – Esha Bhandari, an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union.