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ICE releases student arrested in Sommerville.

Tufts student released after arrest by ICE following publication of critical article about Gaza. A federal judge called her detention unjustified.

ByMas Latino Editorial

PublishedMay 14, 2025

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released an international student from federal custody. Tufts University in Basile, Louisiana, after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Rümeysa Öztürk was arrested in early March near her home in Somerville for her involvement in writing and publishing an article criticizing Tufts University's response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Vermont U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III ordered Öztürk’s immediate release on Friday, noting that “her prolonged detention is untenable.” She returned to Boston via Logan International Airport the next day after six weeks in an ICE detention center in Louisiana.

ICE arrests Rümeysa Öztürk

Born in Turkey, Öztürk is a doctoral student in Child Development, well known at Tufts for her involvement in student communities across campus. Rumeysa lives in the United States under an F-1 visa—the most common option for international students. In 2024, Öztürk co-wrote an op-ed for the university newspaper. Tufts Daily, expressing his disappointment in the public response to the conflict between the Israeli people and the Palestinian people in Gaza.

On March 25 of this year, ICE agents arrested Öztürk near her home in Somerville. Video of her arrest sparked national concern: it shows several masked agents surrounding Öztürk, quickly confiscating her cell phone. The agents then placed Öztürk—who is seen screaming in the video—into an SUV where they proceeded to transport her to a detention facility in Louisiana. During her transport, agents did not charge Öztürk with any crimes, nor did they offer her the opportunity to contact her attorney. The student's legal team also alleges that she suffered an asthma attack during this time.

The country's administration had accused Öztürk of “participate in activities that support Hamas.” 'Hamas' refers to the terrorist organization that currently occupies a large part of Gaza and is in conflict with Israel. Although several media outlets assume that this accusation refers to the opinion piece that Öztürk wrote for Tufts Daily, the country's administration did not present any concrete evidence against the student during her court confrontation.

Return to Massachusetts

U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III of Vermont argued that the administration failed to justify Öztürk's arrest and ordered ICE to release her on Friday, May 9. The next day, a group of supporters and reporters greeted Öztürk upon landing at Logan International Airport. Responding to her experience, Öztürk said, “America is the greatest democracy in the world, and I trust in those values we share. I have faith in the American system of justice.”

Öztürk also shared a message of sympathy for the women held in the Louisiana immigration detention center. The student explained that during her arrest, she counted around 900 women who had not received the national support and compassion she had received during this process: “Please don't forget all the wonderful women in the immigration detention system. I was so tired of seeing their crying and pain, and this can be prevented.”

Öztürk represents one of several cases of international students facing deportation or ICE detention, cases that have increased substantially during Donald Trump's presidency.

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