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THIS IS ALSO BREAKING AT 530 TONIGHT. A JUDGE HAS JUST MADE A KEY RULING IN THE CASE OF THE TUFTS STUDENT WHO WAS DETAINED BY ICE AGENTS IN SOMERVILLE, ORDERING HER TO BE RETURNED TO NEW ENGLAND. OUR SERA CONGI IS LIVE IN EASTON WITH THE CALLS TO RELEASE HER FROM FEDERAL CUSTODY. SARA. THIS JUDGE ORDERING THAT OSTRACH BE TRANSFERRED FROM LOUISIANA INTO THE DISTRICT OF VERMONT INTO ICE CUSTODY BY MAY 1ST. AND IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THE VERMONT JUDGE ALSO WRITES THAT HE FINDS THE STUDENT HAD RAISED SIGNIFICANT CONSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS WITH HER ARREST, AND THEY PLAN TO REVIEW THAT IN A COURT HEARING. TODAY WE SAT DOWN WITH AUSTRAC’S ATTORNEY TO TALK ABOUT HER DETENTION IN LOUISIANA AND HER CASE. OVERALL. SHE HAS HER UPS AND DOWNS. THE ATTORNEY FOR TUFTS GRADUATE STUDENT MESA ÖZTÜRK SAYS SHE IS DOING HER BEST WHILE DETAINED IN LOUISIANA. OTHER TIMES, I’M AMAZED AT HER RESILIENCE. SHE IS, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO THE OTHER WOMEN THERE AND LEARNING FROM THEM. MORE THAN THREE WEEKS AGO, OZTURK WAS TAKEN FROM A SOMERVILLE STREET BY ICE AGENTS, THE TURKISH NATIONAL WAS IN THE U.S. ON A STUDENT VISA. HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICIALS CLAIM SHE ENGAGED IN ACTIVITIES SUPPORTING HAMAS, BUT NO EVIDENCE HAS BEEN RELEASED. SHE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG. SHE HAS NOT BROKEN ANY LAWS. SHE HAS NOT VIOLATED ANY NORMS, ANY STANDARDS. NEITHER AT HER UNIVERSITY LEVEL OR AT A STATE LEVEL, OR AT A FEDERAL LEVEL. HER ATTORNEY SAYS ÖZTÜRK IS BEING TARGETED FOR AN OP ED SHE WROTE IN THE SCHOOL NEWSPAPER ABOUT HER VIEW ON THE WAR IN GAZA. OBVIOUSLY, PART OF THIS IS A WHOLE SCARE TACTIC, RIGHT? WHERE THE GOVERNMENT IS ATTEMPTING TO SILENCE UNIVERSITIES AND TO SILENCE STUDENTS. PART OF THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION NOW ASKING THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO RELEASE DOCUMENTS THAT REPORTEDLY CLEAR HER NAME. THEY WRITE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HER ARREST AND DETENTION RAISED SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT CIVIL LIBERTIES, ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND FREE SPEECH, AS WELL AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TRUTHFULNESS. MAZA URGES OTHERS TO QUESTION THE BROADER ACTIONS BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. I THINK WE’RE REALLY AT A PIVOTAL MOMENT, AND WE NEED TO REASSESS WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS DOING AND HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE. AND TO RECAP THE BREAKING NEWS. WITHIN THE LAST HALF HOUR, A FEDERAL JUDGE IN VERMONT HAS RULED THAT ÖZTÜRK MUST BE MOVED FROM LOUISIANA TO VERMONT TO HAVE HER CASE HEARD IN THE DISTRICT OF VERMONT. SHE STILL WILL REMAIN IN ICE CUSTODY, BUT HER ATTORNEYS HOPE THAT THAT WILL MEAN THEY WILL HAVE EASIER ACCESS TO HER, AS WELL AS TO HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY. AND THEY’RE HOPING SHE’LL GET BETTER MEDICAL CARE, BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN SUFFERING SEVERAL ASTHMA ATTACKS WHILE IN CUSTODY IN LOUISIANA. WE SHOULD ALSO NOTE THAT THE JUDGE WRITING THAT HE PLANS TO HAVE A HEARING OVER SIGNIFICANT CONSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS REGARDING HER ARREST.