A U.S. immigration judge has dismissed the deportation case against Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after writing an op-ed critical of Israel.
Öztürk waswas arrested by ICE in March 2025. Video footage of the arrest shows masked officers approaching her on the street before taking her into custody. In his ruling, the judge said the Department of Homeland Security had not done enough to establish Öztürk’s “removability,” leading to the case’s dismissal.
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FILE – Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk outside the courthouse, in Boston, on Thursday. Credit: Leah Willingham / AP
FILE – Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk outside the courthouse, in Boston, on Thursday. Credit: Leah Willingham / AP
The decision follows the unsealing of documents showing Secretary of State Marco Rubio recommended deporting five foreign students over Gaza war activism, despite concerns about free speech protections.
While the case against Öztürk is closed, other pro-Palestinian activists detained by ICE, including Mahmoud Khalil, are still facing deportation proceedings. Leqaa Kordia, who was detained as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus protests, remains in detention and is hospitalized.