A US court has terminated deportation proceedings against a Turkish doctoral student detained under Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activism.
WASHINGTON: A US court has terminated removal proceedings against a Turkish student detained as part of former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activism, her lawyers said.
In a court filing on Monday, her legal team stated an immigration judge ruled the Department of Homeland Security had not met its burden of proving removability.
The court subsequently terminated her deportation proceedings.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old doctoral student at Tufts University, was apprehended outside her home last March.
Her arrest followed an opinion piece she co-wrote criticising Israel and the school’s response to the Gaza war.
Video footage showing masked federal agents arresting Ozturk sparked online outrage.
It added to concerns about freedom of speech and respect for due process under Trump.
A judge freed her in May after more than six weeks at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana.
“Today, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that despite the justice system’s flaws, my case may give hope to those who have also been wronged by the US government,” Ozturk said in a statement.
She added that the pain faced by thousands wrongfully imprisoned by ICE cannot be undone.
Her detention drew criticism from Turkey, where Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc called it unacceptable.
Tufts University publicly backed Ozturk, demanding her release to complete her doctoral studies in child development.
Trump targeted universities that became epicentres of the US student protest movement.
His administration stripped federal funds and directed immigration officers to deport foreign demonstrators.
Critics argue the campaign amounts to retribution and will have a chilling effect on free speech.
