Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk was apprehended by immigration agents in late March.
According to reports at the time, she was one of many F1 visas that had been revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The case has now made its way through immigration court, and the Trump administration, at least for now, must allow her to stay.
Öztürk was detained on March 25, 2025, apprehended by plainclothes ICE officers near her apartment.
After she was detained, protests broke out on campus to support her.
On March 27, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Öztürk’s F1 visa had been revoked, while also stating that neither Öztürk nor the school had been informed of the updated status of the visa.
The case has been bouncing around in the courts ever since.
This was all part of Rubio’s push to prevent students who create problems on campuses around the country from having their visa status revoked if they are from a foreign country.
He stated, "We give you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses."
He later added, "If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you're coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings ... We're not going to give you a visa.”
Democrats were outraged by this, but I fully support this policy. We have enough disruptors in this country, so we surely do not need to import them. Come, get your education, but don’t come here and start trouble. It seems pretty reasonable to me.
This week, an immigration court ruled in Öztürk's favor, finding that the administration “had not met its burden of proving removability,” halting her deportation.
The administration can appeal the ruling, and it most assuredly will. DHS responded to the ruling, “This is more judicial activism at its core to keep a terrorist sympathizer in this country. We are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here.”
DHS further stated, “Visas provided to foreign students to live, study, and work, in the United States are a privilege, not a right — no matter what this or any other activist judicial ruling says. And when you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.”
This is a rather significant case for this administration and this country. If she is permitted to stay, I would strongly advise that vetting processes be far more stringent, or add some addenda to the visa to ensure we are not importing disruptors. We will keep an eye on this case to see how it plays out on appeal (I assume the administration will file).
