Some good news for everyone asking if due process still has a heart beat! Rümeysa Öztürk, a grad student at Tufts University, was arrested last March for co-writing an article that evaluated policy decisions. This sort of squarely political speech is exactly what the First Amendment was meant to protect. And yet, she was kidnapped by ICE in broad daylight and the state came up with some bs story about her being a terrorist. Thankfully she’s gotten a lot of support from the start: the attempt to speedily deport her was thwarted and she was eventually allowed to go back home. But that wasn’t the end of her legal troubles. An administration so desperate for legal victories that they tried to lock a guy up over a thrown sandwich (they failed, by the way) continued to apply legal pressure against Öztürk. After this most recent ruling, there’s a good chance they’ll finally leave her alone. CNN has coverage:
An immigration judge terminated removal proceedings against Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was detained for over a month last year as part of the Trump administration’s effort to target and deport international students and activists involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy, her lawyers said Monday.
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The move comes after recently unsealed court documents showed the federal government didn’t have any evidence that Öztürk had been supporting terrorist activity when she was arrested, and that her visa revocation and arrest were because of an opinion article she wrote containing criticisms of Israel.
A win for free speech! The “accuse them of terrorism to bypass their due process rights and figure out charges later” strategy is one that the government has used heavily since at least the Bush Jr. administration. And while Ms. Öztürk was fortunate enough to have strong legal representation that could advocate on her behalf, there’s no telling how many other people weren’t as well-equipped to defend themselves from the government over an offending article, presence at a protest, or looking like they have the last name Ramirez.
The rule of law may be on its last legs, but it ain’t dead yet!
Rümeysa Öztürk Finally Returns Home After Being Detained Over 6 Weeks For Sharing Her Opinions
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
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