Columbia protester sues Trump admin over deportation attempt
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Yunseo Chung, a participant in the university's pro-Palestinian protests, condemned the government's actions as a "shocking overreach".
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As light rain falls, New York City police officers arrest pro-Palestinian protesters near the Columbia University campus in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP)
A Columbia University student who participated in pro-Palestinian protests is suing US President Donald Trump’s administration for attempting to deport her.
Attorneys for Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old who has lived legally in the US since childhood, filed a lawsuit on Monday, calling the government’s actions a “shocking overreach” and an “unprecedented and unjustifiable assault” on her rights.
Chung has been involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus since 2023 and was arrested earlier this month while protesting what she described as the university’s “excessive punishments” of student activists, according to the lawsuit, first reported by The New York Times.
Days after her arrest, the suit states, immigration officials attempted to detain and remove Chung from the country. Her lawyer was reportedly informed that her permanent resident status was being “revoked".
The lawsuit comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on immigrants involved in pro-Palestinian protests by revoking their legal status and pursuing deportation.
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Earlier this month, immigration authorities arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a leader in the Columbia protests, stating they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card. Khalil remains in custody in Louisiana. His arrest has sparked fear among international students at Columbia, who worry their visas could also be revoked.
Chung’s lawsuit names Trump, Senator Marco Rubio—who, according to the complaint, ordered Chung’s legal status revoked—South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and other officials. Both Trump and Rubio have publicly supported revoking the visas of international students participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations. During a press conference regarding Khalil, Rubio stated that the government would “kick out” green card holders involved in such protests.
Meanwhile, some US embassies in Europe have issued warnings to potential visitors. The US Embassy in Estonia posted:
“When you apply to enter the United States and you get a visa, you are a guest. Now, if you are in this country to promote Hamas, to promote terrorist organizations, to participate in vandalism, to participate in acts of rebellion and riots on campus, we never would have let you in if we had known that. You lied to us. You’re out.”
However, the Trump administration is also targeting longtime US residents. Chung, a junior at Columbia, has lived in the US since age seven when her family immigrated. She became a permanent resident in 2021, according to the complaint.
Just three days after New York police arrested Chung at a protest, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official signed an administrative arrest warrant for her, the suit claims. The next day, ICE agents reportedly visited her parents’ home looking for her, and days later, they executed search warrants at two Columbia properties, including Chung’s dormitory.
Chung’s lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of engaging in a “larger pattern of attempted US government repression of constitutionally protected protest activity and other forms of speech” and argues that officials are seeking to “retaliate against and punish noncitizens like Ms Chung for their participation in protests.”
“Ms Chung is challenging [the government’s] pattern and practice of targeting individuals associated with protests for Palestinian rights for immigration enforcement in retaliation for their core protected political speech,” the lawsuit states.
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