State Department Memo Before Rümeysa Öztürk’s Arrest Found No Cause to Deport Her

At a hearing before federal District Court Judge William K. Sessions III, it came to light that the State Department has a memo issued days before detention of Rümeysa Öztürk which says investigation found no evidence of antisemitic activity or public statements supporting any terrorist organization.

The government originally asserted she “engaged in anti-Israel activism in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023” based on her co-authorship of an op-ed piece decrying violence in Gaza.

With that debunked, the government has fallen back to say it can deport Öztürk under the Immigration and Nationality Act which only requires an evidence-free assertion by the Secretary of State that he believes her presence or activities have “adverse” consequences for foreign policy.

The government has not disclosed its memos about Öztürk to her legal counsel.

Judge Sessions is considering whether to order Öztürk moved to Vermont from Louisiana, where she was transferred so quickly after being taken that her lawyer had no opportunity to file a challenge before she had been moved to the jurisdiction of a more harsh Court of Appeals. She has suffered multiple asthma attacks and has not always had access to sufficient medication for her asthma. A nurse removed her hijab without permission. She describes conditions in the Louisiana detention center as unsafe, unsanitary and inhumane.

Although she was told her visa was revoked, it was still valid when she was detained.

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