First on CNN: Congressional delegation visits Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk in Louisiana detention centers
Aerial view of the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Facility in Jena
By Gloria Pazmino, CNN
(CNN) — A delegation of congressional members traveled to Louisiana Tuesday to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk and inspect conditions at the two Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities where the two remain in custody.
It’s the first time a congressional delegation has met with Khalil or Ozturk.
Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, and Ozturk, a Tufts University PhD student, have been in ICE custody for more than a month after being arrested near their homes by federal agents.
The Democrat delegation, led by Rep. Troy Carter of Louisiana traveled to Jena, where Khalil is being held, and then two hours south to Basile, where Ozturk is detained. The group includes Reps.Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern, of Massachusetts and Sen. Ed Markey.
“Rümeysa Öztürk is my constituent, an accomplished scholar, and a valued member of our Massachusetts community. Like Rümeysa, Mahmoud Kahlil has committed no crime and is being punished by Donald Trump simply for exercising his right to free speech,” Pressley said in a statement to CNN.
“Both are being unlawfully detained in ICE facilities thousands of miles away from home, and denied the dignity, medical care, and due process they deserve. We’re in Louisiana to demand answers, shine a light on this damning violation of their constitutional rights, and call for their immediate release.”
Neither Khalil or Ozturk has been charged with a crime.
The Trump administration has accused Khalil of engaging in activities in support of Hamas following his high-profile participation in protests against the Israel-Hamas war on the campus of Columbia last year. It has also accused Ozturk of being a terrorist sympathizer after she co-wrote and published an op-ed in the university newspaper, which was critical of the school’s response to the war last year.
Both have sued the Trump administration in federal court and have filed multiple motions challenging the legality of their detentions.
Khalil, a US permanent legal resident who is married to a US citizen, was detained in March. On Monday, his attorneys said ICE denied Khalil a special accommodation to attend the birth of his firstborn son.
Ozturk, a Turkish national, has experienced multiple asthma attacks while in custody and has not had access to her medication, according to court documents and her attorneys. A federal judge in Vermont issued a decision last week ordering ICE to transfer her back from Louisiana to Vermont by May 1 while her case continues to play out.
Tuesday’s visit follows a series of recent trips by Washington lawmakers who have traveled to visit people who are in custody as a result of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
US Sen. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, met Monday with Mohsen Madawi, a prominent organizer of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University who was detained during his final citizenship interview in Vermont last week.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland traveled to El Salvador last week where he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. This week, four House Democrats also traveled to El Salvador seeking the release of Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident.
The-CNN-Wire
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