A federal judge in Boston has ruled in favor of a Tufts University doctoral student from Turkey, allowing her to resume her research and teaching duties. The student, Rümeysa Öztürk, had been barred from academic work after her student visa was revoked and she was detained for six weeks in connection with an opinion piece she co-authored about the war in Gaza.
Key Takeaways
- A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, allowing Ph.D. student Rümeysa Öztürk to continue her academic work at Tufts University.
- Öztürk was arrested in March and detained for six weeks after co-authoring a pro-Palestinian op-ed in a campus newspaper.
- The court found the termination of her student record was likely "arbitrary and capricious" and a violation of her First Amendment rights.
- The government had argued its actions were a legal consequence of her visa being revoked for undermining U.S. foreign policy.
Court Intervenes in Academic Standoff
In a significant decision on Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper determined that Rümeysa Öztürk is likely to succeed in her legal challenge against the government. The judge's ruling states that the termination of her record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) was probably "arbitrary and capricious, contrary to law and in violation of the First Amendment."
This injunction effectively reinstates her ability to participate fully in her Ph.D. program, which includes paid research and teaching assistant roles. Since her release from a Louisiana immigrant detention center in May, Öztürk had been in a state of academic limbo, unable to perform essential duties required for her studies despite being back on campus and maintaining a full course load.
The Impact of a Terminated SEVIS Record
The SEVIS database is a critical tool used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to monitor international students. When a student's record is terminated, they immediately lose all authorization for on-campus and off-campus employment. This action effectively prevented Öztürk from fulfilling her paid research assistantship, a key component of her doctoral program in studying children's relationship with social media.
What is SEVIS?
The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) was mandated by Congress in 1996. It is administered by ICE to collect and manage information on nonimmigrant foreign students and exchange visitors in the United States. A terminated record can trigger removal proceedings.
Arrest and Detention Linked to Campus Op-Ed
Öztürk's ordeal began in March when she was taken into custody by immigration enforcement officers in an unmarked vehicle outside her residence in Somerville, Massachusetts. The arrest followed the publication of an opinion piece she co-authored with three other students in the campus newspaper.
The article criticized Tufts University's response to student activists who were calling on the institution to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to acknowledge the conflict in Gaza as a genocide. According to her lawyers, Öztürk, who is Muslim, was on her way to an iftar meal during Ramadan when she was arrested. She had not been notified that her student visa was revoked several days prior.
Öztürk was held in a Louisiana immigrant detention center for six weeks before being released in May. The government terminated her SEVIS record just two hours after her arrest.
Government Defends Actions as Legal Procedure
During court proceedings, government lawyers argued that the Boston federal court did not have jurisdiction over the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Sauter contended that the termination of Öztürk's SEVIS record was a legal and standard procedure following the revocation of her visa, making her eligible for removal from the country.
"There's no statute or regulation that's been violated by the termination of the SEVIS record in this case," Sauter stated during a hearing last week.
A State Department memo justified the visa revocation by stating Öztürk's actions "'may undermine U.S. foreign policy by creating a hostile environment for Jewish students and indicating support for a designated terrorist organization.'"
A Matter of Free Speech
Öztürk's legal team, including attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, framed the case as a direct punishment for protected speech. Adriana Lafaille, one of her attorneys, described the government's justification as a form of "legal gaslighting."
"We have a strange kind of legal gaslighting here, where the government claims it's just a tinkering in a database, but this is really something that has a daily impact on Ms. Öztürk's life," Lafaille said in court. "Each day that this happens is a day that the government is allowed to continue to punish her for her protected speech."
In a personal statement, Öztürk, who plans to graduate next year, expressed relief but also sorrow over the experience. She is still pursuing a legal challenge against her initial arrest and detention.
"I feel a great deal of grief for the education I have been arbitrarily denied as a scholar and a woman in my final year of doctoral studies," Öztürk said. "I hope one day we can create a world where everyone uses education to learn, connect, civically engage and benefit others — rather than criminalize and punish those whose opinions differ from our own."
