MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - A high-stakes hearing in Vermont about the Tufts student detained by federal authorities wrapped Monday afternoon, drawing a sea of supporters for the woman facing deportation.
Supporters of Rumeysa Ozturk gathered outside a federal courthouse in Burlington hoping to send a clear message with their demonstration.
ICE arrested Ozturk near her Somerville home; she was taken to Vermont, then moved to Louisiana, where she is currently being held.
The Department of Homeland Security said Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, but they had not provided any evidence. Her attorneys believe her arrest stems from a pro-Palestinian op-ed she co-authored in the Tufts student newspaper last year.
“The government hasn’t presented any evidence to support this but some memos that talk about the op-ed,” said Mahsa Khanbabi, Ozturk’s attorney.
They said her detention violates her constitutional right to free speech and due process.
“What happened to Rumeysa is not ordinary immigration enforcement,” said Jessie Rossman, an attorney representing Ozturk. “Its part of a police of punishing people because of their protected speech.”
“People are being abducted, arrested, detained and threatened with deportation for exercising their first amendment rights,” said Ashley Smith of the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation.
Despite Ozturk’s op-ed calling for Tufts to divest from Israel over the war in Gaza, a coalition of Jewish groups are among those supporting her release. They said that despite their differing opinions, they agree with her attorneys that this is a violation of her constitutional rights.
Ozturk said while in custody, her access to food has been limited and the conditions in the facility are unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane.
The American Civil Liberties Union says Ozturk was taken from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, then Vermont before being flown to Louisiana.
Now, the Vermont judge overseeing the case is trying to figure out who should decide where Ozturk ultimately lands. The Justice Department says the immigration court has jurisdiction.
The case has struck a cord with many over free speech, immigration, and the Israel/Hamas war.
The mother of a PHD student in Boston came to the Vermont courthouse Monday.
“I’m afraid,” said Diana Osborn, mother of PHD student. “If they come for her, they’re gonna come for all our kids. All of our kids are in danger right now.”
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