US federal judge orders transfer of Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk
A US federal judge has ordered the transfer of Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was detained last month for supporting Palestine, from Louisiana to Vermont.
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Judge William K. Sessions issued the ruling following a petition filed by attorneys regarding Öztürk's transfer from Louisiana to Vermont.
"Öztürk has raised serious constitutional concerns regarding her arrest and detention. These concerns must be fully and fairly evaluated in this court," Sessions stated, ordering the Turkish student to be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont by May 1, ahead of her bail hearing scheduled for May 9.
Öztürk's attorneys had previously petitioned the court, citing her health condition and requesting that their client be released or transferred from Louisiana to Vermont by April 18.
ÖZTÜRK'S DETENTION
Rümeysa Öztürk, a doctoral student at Tufts University in Massachusetts, was detained by six masked ICE agents on the street on the evening of March 25 while on her way to have iftar with friends. Within 24 hours, she was taken first to Vermont and then to a detention center in Louisiana.
Following an emergency application by her attorneys, Massachusetts District Judge Denise Casper issued a stay of removal for the Turkish student. In a report prepared on April 4, Casper stated that it was appropriate for Öztürk, who is being held in Louisiana, to be tried in the state of Vermont.
Casper cited as the basis for her decision the fact that at the time Öztürk's attorneys filed their petition on the night of March 25, the Turkish student was being held by ICE agents in Vermont and had not yet been transferred to Louisiana.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced that Öztürk's student visa had been revoked and that she would be deported.