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April 17, 2026
Tufts Grad Student Rumeysa Ozturk Self-Deports After Legal Battle
- Rümeysa Öztürk completed her PhD at Tufts University and returned to Turkey after a legal settlement with the Trump administration regarding her detention by ICE.
- She was detained last year for co-authoring a pro-Palestinian op-ed, which led to nationwide protests and accusations of antisemitism without evidence.
- The settlement reinstated her student status and allowed her to leave without further interference, following a judge's ruling that the government had no grounds for deportation.
6 Sources
- Rumeysa Ozturk, Tufts Student Held in Immigration Detention, Returns to TurkeyApr 17, 2026 at 4:14 PM · NYT
- Pro-Palestinian Tufts University graduate targeted by Trump administration returns to TurkeyApr 17, 2026 at 4:38 PM · Reuters
- Turkish grad student who co-authored anti-Israel op-ed at Tufts self-deports after legal battle with DHSApr 17, 2026 at 5:18 PM · Fox News
- Tufts student detained by ICE returns to TurkeyApr 17, 2026 at 6:56 PM · The Hill
- Tufts scholar grabbed off the street by ICE blasts Trump administration as she returns to TurkeyApr 17, 2026 at 7:42 PM · Independent
- Tufts University student targeted by Trump administration completes PhDApr 17, 2026 at 7:44 PM · The Guardian