Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old US permanent resident and Columbia University student, faces deportation over her pro-Palestinian activism. She is suing the Trump administration to stop her deportation, alleging that authorities are using tactics similar to those against other college activists with pro-Palestinian views.
According to the lawsuit, filed on Monday, ICE officials signed an administrative arrest warrant and went to Chung’s parents’ residence seeking to detain her for deportation. Chung is accused of engaging in concerning conduct during a pro-Hamas protest.
DHS spokesperson stated that Chung will have the opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge. However, ICE agents have not been able to detain Chung despite visiting her parents’ residences multiple times.
Chung’s lawsuit seeks a court order to block the Trump administration’s efforts to deport non-citizens who participated in campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. It also requests a judge to prevent the administration from detaining her, moving her out of New York City, or removing her from the country while her lawsuit is ongoing.
Chung’s lawsuit argues that ICE’s actions against her form part of a larger pattern of US government repression of constitutionally protected protest activity and other forms of speech.
Chung’s lawsuit also mentions the Trump administration’s efforts to deport five other students who have spoken out on pro-Palestinian issues.
One high-profile case involves Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student who received a master’s degree and served as a negotiator for students during a campus tent encampment protest last spring. Khalil was detained and told that his green card was being revoked because of his participation in protests.
Additionally, Momodou Taal, a Cornell University student, received a notice last week to surrender to immigration authorities after he filed a lawsuit to preempt deportation efforts.
Other cases include Badar Khan Suri, an Indian studying at Georgetown University who has been detained, and a professor at Brown University’s medical school who was refused entry into the US.
Chung’s petition comes after President Trump promised to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters, whom he accused of being “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American”. Protesters and rights advocates argue that the president’s order violates the free speech rights of international students and scholars.
