A US federal judge has ruled that Rumeysa Ozturk’s legal battle will proceed in Vermont, rejecting the government’s request to shift the case to Louisiana or have it dismissed.
The decision comes amid growing debate over the Trump administration’s actions against pro-Palestinian academics and students.
Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish national and PhD candidate at Tufts University, was arrested in March near her home in Somerville, Massachusetts. She was reportedly on her way to a Ramadan meal when masked federal agents detained her and seized her phone. The arrest was captured on video and quickly gained widespread attention online.
At the time her legal team filed a petition challenging her detention, Ozturk was already being held in Vermont. The judge ruled that Vermont is therefore the correct place for the case to be heard. Ozturk’s lawyers had initially submitted the petition in Massachusetts, not knowing she had been moved, due to a lack of information from authorities.
The court has also ordered that Ozturk cannot be removed from the United States while the case is ongoing. Her attorneys say she has not been charged with any crime and argue that her arrest was tied to her public support for Palestinian causes.
Ozturk had co-authored an opinion piece in a student newspaper earlier this year that was critical of her university’s approach to pro-Palestinian activism. Since then, concerns have grown that her detention may be linked to her political views rather than any violation of law.
Federal officials say her student visa was revoked over alleged connections to Hamas. However, Ozturk’s family and supporters reject the claim, saying there is no proof and insisting she was targeted for speaking out.
Her case is one of several involving students and academics who have shown support for Palestinians, drawing attention to what some see as a pattern of political targeting under the current administration.
As the court proceedings move forward in Vermont, Ozturk remains in custody, with her future in the US still uncertain. Her supporters continue to call for transparency and fair treatment while legal arguments play out in court.