Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish medical graduate student at Tufts University, has self-deported to Turkey after a prolonged legal battle with the United States government. Ozturk was detained in March 2025 after federal authorities revoked her student visa, alleging she had engaged in activities supporting Hamas. She later left the country on a flight to Istanbul, describing her departure as a return on her own timeline after completing her doctoral studies.

Her detention followed the publication of a March 2024 opinion article she co-authored in a student newspaper that criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza and called on the university to acknowledge Palestinian suffering. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said student visas could be denied or revoked for individuals participating in disruptive protest activity, as the administration intensified scrutiny of foreign students involved in demonstrations related to Israel and Palestine.

Ozturk’s arrest sparked protests at Tufts and nationwide. She was transferred through several detention facilities before being released on bail. In February, an immigration judge ruled that the Department of Homeland Security lacked sufficient legal grounds to deport her, terminating the proceedings.

Despite the ruling, the broader dispute highlighted tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary over immigration enforcement. Administration officials defended their actions as part of a wider effort to strengthen visa oversight and immigration enforcement, while Ozturk said she had been targeted for expressing her political views.