Trump target in Palestinian student protest case goes home to Turkey
by Stephen Dinan · The Washington TimesRumeysa Ozturk, one of the most prominent figures targeted in last year’s Trump administration crackdown on pro-Palestinian students, has left the U.S. — but says she did it on her own timeline.
Ms. Ozturk departed after reaching a settlement with the government. The administration agreed to drop its pursuit of a deportation case, while also affirming that Ms. Ozturk was in lawful status as a student during her time here.
She said she finished her Ph.D. at Tufts University and is now back in Turkey.
“After 13 years of dedicated study, I am very proud to have completed my Ph.D. and to return home on my own timeline,” she said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union.
She said her decision to accept the settlement and head home was in part a reaction to “the state-imposed violence and hostility” that she said she faced.
She also included a warning to schools to do more to protect those who engage in “courageous advocacy for Palestine.”
“I invite all universities to do better about listening and valuing all of their students as equal community members, rather than favoring some and silencing others,” she said.
She and the Justice Department filed a joint motion with a federal judge on Friday asking that her original complaint be dismissed, though the court retains jurisdiction to enforce the settlement the two sides reached.
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Ms. Ozturk’s case went viral from a video of her arrest in March 2025.
She was walking near her residence at Tufts in Massachusetts when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel swarmed her, surprising her.
Her lawyers said her student visa was in order and she should not have been subject to arrest or the threat of deportation.
The Trump administration said her visa had been revoked over pro-Palestinian activism.
The only example that emerged was signing on to an opinion piece in the school student newspaper demanding Tufts cut ties to Israel.
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Ms. Ozturk was held in detention for weeks before a federal judge ordered her release, saying the government’s justification was legally iffy.
The ACLU, which handled Ms. Ozturk’s case, said the fact that she was able to finish out her doctoral degree before going home “on her own terms” was a victory.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.