Tufts student detained by ICE returns to Turkey

Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts University student that was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last year, has completed her Ph.D. program and is returning to her home country of Turkey, her lawyers announced on Friday.  

Öztürk was detained by ICE in 2025 after she co-authored an opinion piece for the student newspaper criticizing her school’s response to the Israel-Gaza war.  

She was released by a judge who said there was “absolutely no evidence that she has engaged in violence or advocated violence.” 

“After 13 years of dedicated study, I am very proud to have completed my Ph.D. and to return home on my own timeline,” said Öztürk in a statement. “The time stolen from me by the U.S. government belongs not just to me, but to the children and youth I have dedicated my life........

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