Immigration Judge Tosses Trump Admin Deportation Case Against Tufts PhD Student Rümeysa Öztürk
On Jan. 29, 2026 immigration judge Roopal Patel terminated the Trump administration’s deportation case against Tufts PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk, finding DHS had not met its burden of proof and rejecting the government’s use of a “foreign policy consequences” clause. DHS on the record called the ruling “judicial activism” and labeled Öztürk a “terrorist sympathizer” without offering evidence, while Öztürk, her attorney Mahsa Khanbabai and Sen. Ed Markey hailed the decision as a precedent against the president’s deportation agenda; Öztürk had been seized after a Gaza op‑ed, detained in Vermont and Louisiana with alleged mistreatment, and was freed in May by a federal judge.
📌 Key Facts
- Immigration Judge Roopal Patel terminated the Trump administration’s deportation case against Tufts PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk in an order dated Jan. 29, 2026.
- Patel found the Department of Homeland Security had not met its burden of proof to deport Öztürk and effectively rejected the administration’s use of the 'foreign policy consequences' clause in her case.
- A DHS spokesperson issued a sharp on‑the‑record response, calling the decision 'judicial activism' and labeling Öztürk a 'terrorist sympathizer' without providing evidence.
- Öztürk, her lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai, and Sen. Ed Markey publicly reacted to the ruling, framing it as a precedent against the president’s deportation agenda.
- Background: Öztürk was detained after publishing a Gaza op‑ed—taken off the street, held in Vermont and Louisiana where she says her hijab was removed and asthma attacks went untreated—and had previously been freed in May by a federal judge.
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- Identifies the immigration judge as Roopal Patel and dates the termination order to Jan. 29, 2026.
- Details that the judge found DHS had not met its burden of proof to deport Öztürk, effectively rejecting the administration’s use of the 'foreign policy consequences' clause in her case.
- Includes a sharp on‑the‑record response from a DHS spokesperson calling the decision 'judicial activism' and labeling Öztürk a 'terrorist sympathizer' without providing evidence.
- Quotes Öztürk, her lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai, and Sen. Ed Markey reacting to the ruling and framing it as a precedent against the president’s deportation agenda.
- Reiterates that Öztürk was grabbed off the street after a Gaza op‑ed, detained in Vermont and Louisiana, had her hijab removed and asthma attacks allegedly untreated, and was freed in May by a federal judge.