Overview
- In a Boston hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper questioned the rationale for ICE terminating Rumeysa Ozturk’s SEVIS record.
- ACLU attorney Adriana Lafaille asked the court to order reinstatement, arguing visa revocation controls entry to the U.S. rather than a student’s status.
- Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Sauter argued ICE may update SEVIS to reflect a revoked visa and ongoing removal proceedings.
- Ozturk’s visa was revoked and her SEVIS record ended on March 25 after she co‑wrote a Tufts op‑ed on Gaza; she was detained 45 days before a Vermont judge ordered her release on a substantial First Amendment claim.
- Her record remains terminated, preventing campus employment, as the judge considers the request and her lawyers highlight that thousands of other students had terminations rescinded in April.