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The removal of Rümeysa Öztürk’s student record since her release from ICE custody has kept her from teaching and research opportunities.
Attorneys representing Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University graduate student who was detained by federal authorities in March, asked a federal judge Thursday to restore her student record in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement database.
Öztürk’s detainment sparked widespread outrage, and after being held for six weeks at a detention facility in Louisiana, a federal judge ordered her release. Since she returned to campus in May, she has been unable to participate in teaching and research opportunities as part of her graduate studies, according to The Boston Globe.
On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, ICE manages the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which serves as a central database for universities to submit information about international students. In court, Öztürk’s lawyers requested that a federal judge file a preliminary injunction to restore her SEVIS record.
“The government continues to reach into her life, and prevent her from taking advantage of her educational program, cutting off career opportunities for her,” Adriana Lafaille, an ACLU attorney representing Öztürk, said in court, according to the Globe. “Each day that this happens is a day that the government is allowed to continue to punish her for her protected speech.”
However, Mark Sauter, an attorney for the government, argued that the judge did not have jurisdiction to restore Öztürk’s record, the Globe reported.
“It’s the government’s position that the SEVIS record was terminated, in this case, because she… had her visa revoked, and she was determined to be removable,” Sauter said, according to the Globe.
Öztürk’s student visa was revoked without her knowledge earlier this year. Following Thursday’s hearing, she spoke to the media about her exclusion from educational opportunities since her release has affected her.
“For the first time, as a scholar and a woman, I’ve been denied my education,” Öztürk said, according to the Globe. “It is truly sad how much valuable knowledge is currently being lost here in the U.S. due to fear within the academic community that they could be punished for their speech and beliefs like I was.”
The judge said she intends to consider the arguments and release a ruling soon, but no exact date was specified, the Globe reported.
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