Rümeysa Öztürk settles with US government and returns to Turkey

Key Points:

• Rümeysa Öztürk, a former Tufts University graduate student detained by U.S. immigration authorities for co-writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed, has returned to Turkey after reaching a settlement with the U.S. government over longstanding legal issues.
• Öztürk was detained for over six weeks in 2025 and faced deportation proceedings, which an immigration judge terminated due to lack of government basis; the government later appealed but agreed to jointly request termination of proceedings under the settlement.
• The U.S. government acknowledged Öztürk was in lawful nonimmigrant status and voided the termination of her student visa records, allowing her to potentially return to the U.S. without adverse immigration consequences.
• Öztürk’s arrest was part of a broader Trump administration campaign targeting foreign-born students and activists involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy, raising First Amendment and due process concerns cited by courts and advocacy groups.
• Legal challenges included federal court rulings restoring her ability to work during studies and a separate lawsuit finding that her visa revocation was unconstitutional, with multiple cases now resolved or dismissed as part of the settlement.