Jayapal Statement on the Release of Rumeysa Öztürk

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, released the following statement after Rumeysa Öztürk was released from ICE detention.

“Today, our legal system worked: Rumeysa Öztürk was finally released from ICE detention after being unlawfully detained for more than six weeks. Rumeysa was here lawfully on a student visa and was kidnapped and disappeared off the street for no reason, seemingly other than drafting an op-ed, exercising her constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression. Her detention was a disgrace and a threat to all of our liberties, and her release is a testament to her, her family, and attorneys, and the public that refused to back down. 

“However, the harm caused by Rumeysa’s detention highlights the outrageous nature of Donald Trump’s indiscriminate and unconstitutional arrests of immigrants, including those with legal status, simply because they do not agree with Trump. It also highlights the fact that Donald Trump lied when he said he was only going after ‘the worst of the worst.’ Instead, he has been launching an all-out assault on free speech rights and the due process rights that are the foundation of our legal system. 

“Every American should understand that if Trump can kidnap and disappear Rumeysa off the street, he can do the same to any of us. The First Amendment is not up for debate — and whether it is Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumeysa Ozturk, Mahmoud Khalil, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Alfredo Juarez Zeferino, or all the other immigrants kidnapped by this administration — we will not back down in defending all of our rights.”

Issues: Immigration