Jewish groups question antisemitism claims against Rümeysa Öztürk
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SEIU members in Boston this month protest Rümeysa Öztürk's detainment. Photo: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
More than two dozen Jewish groups have denounced the Trump administration's arrest of Tufts international student Rümeysa Öztürk in the name of antisemitism.
Why it matters: The Trump administration has vowed to claw back protesters' student visas for what critics call politically protected speech surrounding the war in Gaza.
State of play: 27 organizations, including the Boston Workers Circle and the Congregation Dorshei Tzedek in Newton, filed an amicus brief last week calling Öztürk's detainment for allegedly supporting Hamas, unconstitutional.
- They say the government has shown no proof of pro-Hamas activities.
- Her attorneys claim the only known basis is an op-ed Öztürk wrote for the Tufts Daily News, calling for Tufts to recognize as genocide Israel's response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.
Between the lines: The brief says two things — one, that the organizations do not necessarily agree with the contents of Öztürk's 2024 op-ed, and two, that they don't believe the arrest was really about purported antisemitism.
What they're saying: "The government instead appears to be exploiting Jewish Americans' legitimate concerns about antisemitism as pretext for undermining core pillars of American democracy, the rule of law, and the fundamental rights of free speech and academic debate on which this nation was built," the organizations wrote in their brief, filed in Vermont federal court.
An internal State Department memo showed no evidence linking Ozturk to antisemitism or terrorism, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
Zoom in: Öztürk's attorneys asked District Judge William K. Sessions III Monday to consider releasing her from a Louisiana immigrant detention center as they allege the arrest and detainment violated her First and Fifth Amendment rights.
- Trump administration attorneys argued the question of Öztürk's release is an immigration court matter, not a federal court's concern.
- But Sessions noted that the alleged constitutional violations fall under the federal court's purview, the Boston Globe reported.
- He said the case presents the risk of a "constitutional crisis" in the event that he orders Öztürk's release, only for the government to refuse because of a detention order in immigration court.
What's next: Öztürk has an immigration hearing Wednesday, in which she's seeking release on bond.