Rumeysa Ozturk, originally from Turkey with a student visa, was transferred to Louisiana despite a court order to keep her in the state.
Rumeysa Ozturk, originally from Turkey with a student visa, was transferred to Louisiana despite a court order to keep her in the state.
Thousands rallied in Somerville Wednesday after a Tufts University graduate student, native to Turkey and outspoken about Palestinian rights, was arrested by federal immigration agents Tuesday night.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fulbright Scholar pursuing her PhD at the university’s Child Study and Human Development department, was detained by ICE agents outside an off-campus apartment building in Somerville. Her lawyer said she was “maintaining valid F-1 status” while at Tufts.
At the protest near Tufts, representatives for Ozturk confirmed that she was moved to Louisiana despite a writ of habeas corpus, requesting that Ozturk not be moved out of state. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani had ordered Ozturk not be moved without prior notice, but her lawyer said they weren’t notified of her whereabouts.
“Why she was transferred to Louisiana despite the court’s order is unfathomable. Rumeysa should immediately be brought back to Massachusetts, released, and allowed to return to complete her PhD program,” according to a statement from her lawyer read at Powder House Square Park.
