A Boston federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore an essential government record for Rümeysa Öztürk that will let her do paid work as part of her graduate studies. The Tufts University student was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March.
A Ph.D. candidate originally from Turkey, Öztürk was detained by masked agents near her Somerville home Her attorneys contend that she was targeted for writing an opinion piece in the Tufts student newspaper calling on the school’s administration to stop funding companies with ties to Israel’s efforts in the war in Gaza. Öztürk was held in detention in Louisiana for 45 days before her court-ordered release.
Soon after her arrest, Öztürk’s record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, was terminated. The database monitored by ICE tracks students staying in the United States on certain visas. Without a SEVIS record, foreign students are unable to work in the U.S. Öztürk’s attorneys say that has prevented her from fully engaging in her graduate studies, including doing paid work, since she was released in May.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper told the Trump administration that her record must be reinstated.
“My student SEVIS record was unlawfully canceled by the government for co-authoring an op-ed in which I advocated for equal dignity and humanity for all — and after eight long months, that record will now finally be restored,” Öztürk said in a statement released by the ACLU of Massachusetts.
“Here in the U.S., it is truly sad how much valuable knowledge is currently being lost due to the widespread fear of punishment within the academic community,“ she said.
In a preliminary injunction issued Monday night, Casper wrote that the government “does not contest Öztürk’s argument that she will be irreparably harmed absent relief,” and that she proved irreparable harm of losing out on “paid on-campus employment in which she would otherwise be engaged.”
In an appearance before the judge last week, attorneys for Öztürk argued that she was entitled to the injunction, claiming the federal government had violated the Administrative Procedures Act and the First Amendment, and that Öztürk suffered harm from not being able to work while pursuing her studies.
Government attorney Mark Sauter argued that the court didn’t have jurisdiction to restore the SEVIS record, and that Öztürk’s record was terminated because her visa was revoked and she was “determined to be removable.” But Casper ruled that she could review agency actions.
The federal government did not respond to a request for comment on whether it plans to appeal Casper’s order for the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate the SEVIS record.
“Every day that Ms. Öztürk’s SEVIS record remained terminated was a day that the government continued to punish her for her constitutionally protected speech,” said Jessie Rossman, legal director at the ACLU of Massachusetts.
“After months of this unlawful and unfair treatment, we are grateful that her student record will now be reinstated. Ms. Öztürk came to Massachusetts as a scholar to study childhood development and the media, and we all benefit when she is able to fully participate in her doctoral program.”
Öztürk’s broader case challenging her March arrest and subsequent detention is still pending.
