Markey Statement on Termination of Removal Proceedings Against Rümeysa Öztürk

Washington (February 10, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after the announcement that an immigration court terminated removal proceedings against Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk. In April, Senator Markey visited Ms. Öztürk at the Louisiana ICE facility where she was being held and demanded her release. On May 10, Senator Markey and Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) welcomed Ms. Öztürk back to Massachusetts after a federal court granted her bail and ordered her release.

"I am grateful that an immigration judge has terminated removal proceedings against Rümeysa Öztürk," said Senator Markey. "Nearly one year ago, masked ICE agents abducted Rümeysa off the streets of Somerville and quickly shipped her to a detention center in Louisiana, thousands of miles away from her community and her attorneys. Rümeysa was unlawfully detained in ICE custody for 45 long days-all for writing an op-ed in her school newspaper. The Trump administration sought to silence and punish Rümeysa for her constitutionally protected speech. Thankfully, justice has prevailed.

"When I first met Rümeysa, I was struck by her unwavering spirit and her advocacy on behalf of the other detained women. Even after her release, Rümeysa has continued to shed light on the inhumane conditions suffered by the immigrant women in detention, including inadequate food and medical care, overcrowded and unhygienic conditions, and mistreatment and neglect. Her courage is an inspiration to us all.

"At every turn, the courts have found that the Trump administration specifically targeted Rümeysa, without evidence or justification. This ruling is further proof. Freedom of speech is a core constitutional tenet in our nation, and now-more than ever-we must fight to protect it. As the Trump administration escalates its authoritarian assaults on our most sacred values, we cannot stay silent. I will continue to stand with Rümeysa and all those harmed by the racist, cruel, and unlawful actions of this administration."

On April 22, Senator Markey and Representatives Pressley and Jim McGovern (MA-02), along with Representative Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Ranking Member of House Committee on Homeland Security, and Representative Troy Carter (LA-02) visited the Louisiana ICE facility

where Rümeysa Öztürk was being held.

That same day, Senator Markey, Representative Pressley, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons to demand answers about the Trump administration's concerning practice of detaining individuals, such as Öztürk, far from their attorneys and communities and in legal environments where their rights are more difficult to defend.

In May, Senator Markey and other lawmakers also sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seeking more information on the detention conditions of immigrants held at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center (CLIPC) and the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center (SLIPC) after their oversight trip.

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