US Judge bars Columbia University student’s detainment over pro-Palestine protests – JURIST
A US federal judge on Tuesday granted a request for a temporary restraining order to stop efforts to deport a 21-year-old Columbia University student who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
US District Judge for the Southern District of New York Naomi Reice Buchwald signed the order, preventing Yunseo Chung from being arrested or deported by US immigration officials.
Chung’s attorneys argue the government is committing “shocking overreach” against Chung, in continuation of a pattern that began this month against other Columbia student activists.
“The government’s actions are an unprecedented and unjustifiable assault on First Amendment and other rights, one that cannot stand basic legal scrutiny,” the complaint her lawyers filed on Monday against the Trump Administration states. “Simply put, immigration enforcement – here, immigration detention and threatened deportation – may not be used as a tool to punish noncitizen speakers who express political views disfavored by the current administration.”
The First Amendment of the US Constitution protects fundamental freedoms, including free speech and the right for people to peaceably assemble.
Chung was arrested by the New York Police Department and given a desk appearance ticket for obstruction of governmental administration when she participated in a sit-in protest at Columbia on March 5, according to the complaint her lawyers filed Monday in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration. Media reports identified her at the time, and several days later, she was pursued by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and was told her lawful permanent resident status was being revoked.
The college junior has lived in the US since she was 7 years old, having immigrated with her family from South Korea, according to the complaint. She has participated in several protests on Columbia’s campus, speaking out against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since the Israel- Hamas war broke out on October 7, 2023.
ICE signed an administrative arrest warrant for Chung on March 8, the same day fellow student Mahmoud Khalil was detained. While ICE has not arrested Chung yet, her attorneys are working to guarantee her freedom.
The Trump Administration has targeted and arrested multiple students for participating in protests that “advocate for violence and terrorism,” according to Kristi Noem, secretary of homeland security.
