Judge Orders Trump Administration To Explain ICE Detention Of Tufts Student
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India-West News Desk
BOSTON, MA – A U.S. district judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to explain why a Tufts University PhD student was detained and moved out of Massachusetts despite a court order. The case is being handled by Judge Indira Talwani, an Indian American jurist known for presiding over high-profile cases, including the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal.
Talwani issued the order after federal agents detained Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student, in Somerville, on March 25. Footage circulating online shows masked immigration officials handcuffing Ozturk and forcing her into an unmarked vehicle.
Ozturk was taken to Louisiana, violating Talwani’s directive that she not be moved without 48 hours’ notice to the court. This raises a critical question: Did ICE and DHS deliberately defy a federal judge’s order? In response, Ozturk’s lawyer, Mahsa Khanbabai, filed an emergency motion demanding her return to Massachusetts. Talwani has given DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) until March 28 to justify the detention.
ICE has since confirmed that Ozturk’s student visa was revoked, alleging she has ties to Hamas. DHS has not yet provided evidence to substantiate the accusation.
Judge Indira Talwani has served on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts since 2014. Nominated by President Barack Obama, she was confirmed by the Senate in an unanimous 94-0 vote. A Harvard and UC Berkeley Law graduate, Talwani has presided over numerous cases involving immigration, civil rights, and high-profile prosecutions.
Her involvement in Ozturk’s case places her at the center of an intensifying debate over immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
Tufts University President Sunil Kumar has stated that the school was unaware of the arrest before it occurred and is seeking clarification about Ozturk’s visa status.
The case will continue in Talwani’s court as DHS prepares to respond to her order.
