Tufts University petitioned a federal judge to release student Rümeysa Öztürk late Wednesday, some of the strongest public pushback by a school against the Trump administration’s arrests of foreign students.
The university’s declaration of support came a day before a hearing in Öztürk’s case that will take place on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.
Öztürk, a doctoral student from Turkey, was apprehended by immigration authorities on March 25 in Sommerville, Massachusetts, the home of Tufts. She is currently being held at a detention center in Louisiana.
Video shows several Department of Homeland Security officers in plainclothes surrounding Öztürk, grabbing her by the wrists and taking her away into an SUV as she screamed out in confusion.
In its written declaration, Tufts said that it saw no reason for her detention, calling her “a valued member of the community.”
“The University seeks relief so that…
