Scholar Leaves US After Year-Long Deportation Fight

After nearly a year of legal battles and detention, a scholar who earned her PhD while fighting for her right to stay in America has decided to go home on her own terms.

Rumeysa Ozturk, who completed her doctorate in child study and human development in February, announced through the ACLU on Friday that she's returning to Turkey. The 30-year-old cited the "state-imposed violence and hostility" she experienced after being arrested outside her Massachusetts apartment in March 2025.

Surveillance video of her arrest went viral, showing six plain-clothed immigration officers suddenly surrounding her as she left to break her Ramadan fast. The footage captured a passerby questioning the masked officers: "How do I know this is the police?"

Ozturk had no criminal record. Her apparent offense was co-signing an opinion column in her student newspaper calling on Tufts University to acknowledge the crisis in Gaza and divest from companies with ties to Israel.

After her arrest, she spent 45 days in immigration detention in Louisiana, where she described overcrowding, insufficient food, and 24-hour lighting that made sleep nearly impossible. She suffered asthma attacks in the hot, humid conditions.

In May, a federal court ordered her release. An immigration judge later dismissed the deportation proceedings in February, though the administration appealed.

This week, Ozturk's legal team reached a settlement. The government acknowledged she had been in the US legally throughout her entire stay. In exchange, she agreed to leave for Turkey without interference.

Why This Inspires

Despite everything, Ozturk completed her PhD and continued advocating for the children and youth she dedicated her career to supporting. She never let the legal battle derail her commitment to her studies or her values.

In her departure statement, she reminded countries that hosting international scholars is a privilege. She expressed solidarity with other academics who fear consequences for exercising their right to free expression.

Her journey shows that sometimes choosing when and how to leave takes more courage than fighting to stay, especially when your work and principles travel with you wherever you go.