BASILE, La. — Cheers and tears filled the air as Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, walked free Friday afternoon after being held in ICE detention for more than a month.
“Rumeysa, Rumeysa, we love you!” chanted a group of supporters gathered outside the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile.
Ozturk’s release marked a powerful moment for her family, friends, and a coalition of activists who had fought for her freedom.
“She is coming home to her family, and we are so thankful,” said Elsa Flores, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Texas Chapter.
Hours before her release, dozens of supporters and advocacy group members stood outside the detention center in protest. They argued Ozturk was wrongfully detained in Boston, Massachusetts.
“Rumeysa is a fellow human being and is being unlawfully and inhumanely detained here,” said Adelaide Ritzman, a student at Tulane University and member of Students for a Democratic Society. “I just wanted to come out here and support her, and say that despite these things, the student movement is alive and well.”
Ozturk had recently co-authored an article that was critical of Tufts University’s response to the war in Gaza.
“It’s not about what she said—she has a right to express that opinion,” said Flores.
Among those rallying for Ozturk’s release was Dr. Taylor Walker, a family medicine physician and president of the Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU Healthcare chapter. Walker, who also attended Tufts University, was especially concerned about Ozturk’s health, noting that the Ph.D. student suffers from asthma.
“Another day in that center was another day her life was at risk,” said Walker. “I’m just so, so excited that she’s going to be released. I’m going to do a quick exam to make sure she’s okay, and then we’re getting her back home to Boston.”
Walker said Ozturk suffered an asthma attack during her detention hearing Friday. After a four-hour hearing, a judge ruled in favor of her release.
“I’m so excited, I can’t even speak right now,” Walker added. “But I think it’s important that people hear the stories coming out of these detention centers so the public understands why we’re standing out here in the rain, why we’ve been here since 8:30a.m., and why we’re continuing to fight like hell for every single person being unjustly detained.”
When asked about the status of Ozturk’s immigration case, her attorney, Magda Khanbabi, declined to comment, stating their current focus is on getting Ozturk safely home to Boston.
