US Judge Blocks Trump Administrations Deportation Effort Against Turkish-American Girl

US Immigration Judge Blocks Deportation of Tufts Student

A US immigration judge has ruled that the Department of Homeland Security failed to prove Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, should be removed from the country. According to her lawyers, Immigration Judge Roopal Patel concluded on January 29 that the DHS had not met its burden of proving she was removable.

Ozturk was arrested in March last year as part of a crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists. She was detained for 45 days before being released by a federal judge who found that her detention constituted unlawful retaliation in violation of her free speech rights. The government appealed her release to the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals, but Patel’s decision has ended those proceedings.

Ozturk’s lawyers stated that Patel’s decision was issued after reviewing the evidence presented by the DHS. They also noted that Ozturk had co-authored an editorial criticizing her university’s response to Israel’s conflict with Gaza, which was cited as the sole basis for revoking her visa.

The Department of Homeland Security has responded to the ruling, stating that it reflects “judicial activism”. Secretary Kristi Noem described the decision as a warning to those who advocate for anti-American and anti-Semitic views. However, Ozturk’s lawyers have hailed Patel’s decision as a victory for free speech and human rights.

Ozturk has been studying at Tufts University since her release from detention. Her case has drawn attention due to its high-profile nature and the Trump administration’s efforts to deport non-citizen students with pro-Palestinian views.

Source: Al Jazeera