Rümeysa Has Now Suffered 3 Asthma Attacks in DHS Custody and Has Not Received Her Required Medications, Lawyer Says

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), along with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) issued a statement renewing their urgent calls for Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk’s release after her lawyer revealed that she has suffered a series of asthma attacks while in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody and has not been receiving adequate medical care.

Last week, Pressley, Markey, and Warren led over 30 lawmakers in writing to Trump Administration officials demanding information about Rümeysa’s arrest and detention, and similar incidents across the country.

“It is unconscionable that Rümeysa Öztürk—a young woman pursuing her education, exercising her First Amendment rights, and contributing to her community—remains detained by DHS. Her ongoing incarceration is not only a blatant violation of her constitutional rights to due process and free speech, but it is now an egregious denial of her fundamental right to medical care. According to her lawyer, Rümeysa has not received her required asthma medications and has now suffered three separate asthma attacks while in custody. This is cruelty, it is neglect, and it is a damning moral and legal failure.

“As her representatives in Congress, we demand DHS immediately provide Rümeysa with access to the health care she needs, and absent compelling evidence justifying her detention and the revocation of her status, we call for Ozturk’s release and the restoration of her visa. Every minute she remains in custody is another minute her health and rights are at risk, and DHS must move with urgency.”

This week, Congresswoman Pressley issued a statement condemning reports that ICE arrested and detained Rumeysa Ozturk, an international student with legal status in a graduate program at Tufts University. Earlier in the week, Rep. Pressley issued a statement following reports of ICE activity in Boston and other municipalities in Massachusetts.

###