Overview

• The Second Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing arguments on the cases of Rumeysa Ozturk, a detained Tufts University student, and Mohsen Mahdawi, a recently released Columbia University student.
• The Justice Department is appealing Vermont district court rulings that ordered Ozturk's return for hearings and granted bail to Mahdawi, while seeking to consolidate the cases.
• Ozturk, a Turkish national, has been held in a Louisiana detention center since March 25 after her visa was revoked, and her lawyers argue her detention violates constitutional rights.
• Mahdawi, a Palestinian legal permanent resident, was arrested during a citizenship interview on April 14 and released on bail on April 30, with a federal judge citing concerns over free speech suppression.
• The cases are part of a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian student activists, raising debates over immigration enforcement, free speech, and jurisdictional authority.