Tufts University student detained by ICE granted bail by federal judge

A federal judge in Vermont has granted a request for bail from a Tufts University student who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Federal Judge William K. Sessions III, appointed by former President Barack Obama, granted Rümeysa Öztürk's request for bail on Friday, saying that her arrest raises significant due process and First Amendment concerns. Ozturk isn't a U.S. citizen and is in the country on a student visa.

Sessions ordered her to be released immediately and determined she is not a danger to the community or a flight risk. He said he wants to be updated when she is released and will impose modest restrictions on Öztürk if ICE requests them.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Öztürk in court, told Fox News Digital in a statement they are pleased with the ruling.

COURT ORDERS TUFTS UNIVERSITY STUDENT BE QUICKLY MOVED TO ICE CUSTODY IN VERMONT, DENIES GOVERNMENT APPEAL

Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old doctoral student at Tufts University, is detained by Department of Homeland Security agents on a street in Sommerville, Mass., on Tuesday, March 25. (AP)

"Rümeysa can now return to her beloved Tufts community, resume her studies, and begin teaching again. We could not be more delighted," said Noor Zafar, senior staff attorney with ACLU. "Today’s ruling underscores a vital First Amendment principle: No one should be imprisoned by the government for expressing their beliefs."

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Rumeysa Ozturk on an apple-picking trip in 2021. (AP)

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News on Wednesday that Ozturk was "granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa" and that "DHS and ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans."  (AP)

Öztürk was detained by ICE agents on March 26. Federal officials previously accused Öztürk of supporting Hamas.

Öztürk co-authored an article in the Tufts student newspaper calling on the institution to divest from Israel and criticized its response to the Israel-Hamas war.

This is a developing story.