A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot deport the Tufts graduate student detained earlier this week while the case is being considered in court, NBC Boston reported.
U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper ruled that Rumeysa Ozturk cannot be deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Ozturk was transported to a detention center in Basile, Louisiana, after being detained Tuesday.
"To allow the Court's resolution of its jurisdiction to decide the petition, Ozturk shall not be removed from the United States until further Order of this Court," Casper said in her ruling.
A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said federal authorities detained Ozturk and revoked her visa after an investigation found she had "engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans."
"A visa is a privilege, not a right," the spokesperson added. "Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated. This is commonsense security."
Ozturk was one of four students last March who wrote an op-ed in The Tufts Daily criticizing the university's response to student demands that Tufts "acknowledge the Palestinian genocide," disclose its investments, and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.
Casper gave the Trump administration until Tuesday to respond.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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