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US Judge Halts Deportation of Turkish Student at Tufts

Hundreds of people gather in Somerville, Mass., on March 26, 2025, to demand the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, who was arrested by federal agents Tuesday night. (AP)
Hundreds of people gather in Somerville, Mass., on March 26, 2025, to demand the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, who was arrested by federal agents Tuesday night. (AP)
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US Judge Halts Deportation of Turkish Student at Tufts

Hundreds of people gather in Somerville, Mass., on March 26, 2025, to demand the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, who was arrested by federal agents Tuesday night. (AP)
Hundreds of people gather in Somerville, Mass., on March 26, 2025, to demand the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, who was arrested by federal agents Tuesday night. (AP)

A federal judge in Massachusetts ordered on Friday barred the deportation of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, who voiced support for Palestinians in Israel's war in Gaza and was detained by US immigration officials this week.

Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was taken into custody by US immigration authorities near her Massachusetts home on Tuesday, according to a video showing the arrest by masked federal agents. US officials revoked her visa.

The US Department of Homeland Security has accused Ozturk, without providing evidence, of "engaging in activities in support of Hamas," a group which the US government categorizes as a "foreign terrorist organization."

Her arrest came a year after Ozturk co-authored an opinion piece in Tuft's student newspaper criticizing the university's response to calls by students to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to "acknowledge the Palestinian genocide."

A lawyer soon after sued to secure her release, and on Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union joined her legal defense team, filing a revised lawsuit saying her detention violates her rights to free speech and due process.

Despite a Tuesday night order requiring the PhD student and Fulbright Scholar to not be moved out of Massachusetts without 48 hours' notice, she is now in Louisiana.

In Friday's order, US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston said that to provide time to resolve whether her court retained jurisdiction over the case, she was barring Ozturk's deportation temporarily.

She ordered the Trump administration to respond to Ozturk's complaint by Tuesday.

Mahsa Khanbabai, a lawyer for Ozturk, called the decision "a first step in getting Rumeysa released and back home to Boston so she can continue her studies."

The DHS had no immediate comment.

President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and has accused them of supporting Hamas, being antisemitic and posing foreign policy hurdles.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration conflates their criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.

Several students and protesters have had their visas revoked by the Trump administration, which says it may have revoked over 300 visas.

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Sheinbaum Says She Rejected Trump's Offer to Send Troops to Mexico

FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum attends her morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum attends her morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
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Sheinbaum Says She Rejected Trump's Offer to Send Troops to Mexico

FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum attends her morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum attends her morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Saturday that US President Donald Trump had proposed sending US troops to Mexico to combat drug trafficking, but said she had rejected that offer because "sovereignty is not for sale."
Sheinbaum's comments were in response to questions about a Wall Street Journal report published on May 2 that said Trump was pressuring Mexico to allow deeper US military involvement against drug cartels to combat trafficking across the shared border.
"In one of the calls, (Trump) said, 'How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the US Army come in to help you,'" said Sheinbaum, who was speaking at a university event near the capital on Saturday.
"And you know what I told him? No, President Trump, the territory is sacrosanct, sovereignty is sacrosanct, sovereignty is not for sale, sovereignty is loved and defended," the president said, adding that while the two countries can collaborate, "we will never accept the presence of the United States military in our territory."
A spokesperson for the US National Security Council (NSC) said in response to a Reuters request for comment that Trump had been "crystal clear that Mexico must do more to combat these gangs and cartels and the United States stands ready to assist and expand the already close cooperation between our two countries."
The council spokesperson added that Trump had worked closely with Sheinbaum to achieve the "most secure southwest border in history", however, "dangerous foreign terrorist organizations continue to threaten our shared security and the drugs and crime they spread threaten American communities across the country," the spokesperson said.
The White House did not immediately respond when asked by Reuters whether Trump had raised troop deployments with Sheinbaum.
Trump has said publicly that the US would take unilateral military action if Mexico failed to dismantle drug cartels. The two leaders have had several calls in recent months to discuss security issues, trade and immigration.
Sheinbaum went on to explain that during one of the calls she had asked Trump for help to prevent weapons from entering Mexico from the United States that fuel violence and trafficking.
"We can collaborate, we can work together, but you can do it in your territory, we can do it in ours," Sheinbaum said.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that tension between the two leaders rose towards the end of an April 16 telephone conversation when Trump pushed to have US armed forces take a leading role in tackling Mexican drug gangs that produce and smuggle fentanyl to the US.
In February, the US designated the Sinaloa Cartel and other Mexican drug cartels as global terrorist organizations, which some analysts have warned could be a stepping stone to such military action.
Airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels by the US military has also increased, as part of efforts to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities.
Sheinbaum has since proposed a constitutional reform aimed at adding protections to Mexico's national sovereignty.