A Tufts University student from Turkey has reported a deterioration in her health since being taken into custody, citing an increase in her asthma attacks due to the crowded conditions in detention. The student, Rumeysa Ozturk, aged 30, was apprehended by immigration officials while walking in Somerville, a suburb of Boston, on March 25. She is currently held at a detention center in Basile, Louisiana. A panel of three federal judges is set to consider a court order on Tuesday regarding her potential transfer to Vermont.
Ozturk expressed in court documents that she has experienced eight asthma attacks over a five-week period while in custody, compared to only nine such episodes over the previous two to three years. Her legal team argues that her detention infringes upon her constitutional rights, emphasizing free speech and due process. A Vermont district court judge had ordered her move to the state to assess whether her detention was unlawful.
The U.S. Justice Department is contesting this order, underscoring that an immigration court in Louisiana holds jurisdiction over her case. Ozturk’s court filings reveal a lack of adequate medical care at the Louisiana center, with attacks lasting up to 45 minutes and scarce access to fresh air. She noted the dorms’ overcrowded conditions and reports of mice, as well as constant air conditioning hindering her access to fresh air.
Ozturk recalls immigration officials apprehending her as she walked in Boston, subsequently transporting her through New Hampshire and Vermont before flying her to Louisiana. Earlier, she had been among four students who authored a piece in The Tufts Daily criticizing the university’s handling of student activists’ calls for acknowledging the “Palestinian genocide” and divesting from companies linked to Israel.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated in March that investigations had linked Ozturk to activities supporting Hamas, identified as a terrorist organization by the U.S.; however, no evidence was provided to back this claim.