Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk Returns to Turkey After ICE Detention

Ozturk says she's back home 'on my own timeline' after a year-long ordeal.

Apr. 17, 2026 at 5:05pm

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A cinematic painting of a solitary suitcase sitting on a city sidewalk, the warm sunlight and deep shadows creating a nostalgic, melancholy mood that reflects the personal impact of the government's actions.A lone suitcase on a city sidewalk symbolizes the personal toll of the government's crackdown on international students like Rumeysa Ozturk.Somerville Today

Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University graduate student who was detained by ICE agents in Somerville, Massachusetts last year, has returned to her home country of Turkey. Ozturk spent six weeks in a Louisiana detention center before a judge ordered her release on bail. She says the 'time stolen' from her by the U.S. government belongs to the children and youth she advocates for, and she is choosing to continue her career as a scholar in Turkey.

Why it matters

Ozturk's case highlighted concerns over the Trump administration's crackdown on international students, with hundreds reportedly having their visas revoked for participating in campus protests. Her detention and subsequent release on bail also sparked debates around immigration enforcement tactics and the rights of international students in the U.S.

The details

Surveillance video showed Ozturk being detained by plain-clothed ICE agents outside her off-campus apartment in Somerville. The Trump administration had revoked her student visa after she co-authored an opinion piece in the Tufts student newspaper that was critical of Israel. After six weeks in a Louisiana detention center, a judge ordered Ozturk's release on bail.

  • Ozturk was detained by ICE agents in Somerville, Massachusetts in the spring of 2025.
  • Ozturk spent six weeks detained at a Louisiana detention center before being released on bail in 2025.
  • Earlier this year, an immigration judge ended proceedings against Ozturk, and the parties reached a settlement to resolve outstanding legal issues and dismiss her immigration proceedings.

The players

Rumeysa Ozturk

A Tufts University graduate student who was detained by ICE agents in Somerville, Massachusetts and held for six weeks in a Louisiana detention center before being released on bail.

Marco Rubio

The former U.S. Secretary of State who stated last year that hundreds of international students have had their visas revoked for participating in campus protests.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The organization that represented Ozturk and shared her statement upon her return to Turkey.

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What they’re saying

“After 13 years of dedicated study, I am very proud to have completed my Ph.D. and to return home on my own timeline.”

— Rumeysa Ozturk, Tufts University Graduate Student

“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 to advocating for. With them in mind, I am choosing to return home as planned to continue my career as a woman scholar without losing more time to the state-imposed violence and hostility I have experienced in the United States – all for nothing more than co-signing an op-ed advocating for Palestinian rights.”

— Rumeysa Ozturk, Tufts University Graduate Student

What’s next

The ACLU said the government had appealed an immigration judge's decision earlier this year to end proceedings against Ozturk, but the parties have since reached a settlement to resolve outstanding legal issues and jointly move to dismiss her immigration proceedings.

The takeaway

Ozturk's case highlighted the Trump administration's crackdown on international students, with hundreds reportedly having their visas revoked for participating in campus protests. Her detention and subsequent release on bail also sparked debates around immigration enforcement tactics and the rights of international students in the U.S.