US immigration officials ask pro-Palestinian Cornell student to surrender
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A "notice to appear" sent by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials is among the first steps in the deportation process.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – US immigration officials on March 21 sent an e-mail to the legal team of Mr Momodou Taal, a Cornell University student who has participated in pro-Palestinian protests, asking him to turn himself in, Mr Taal's attorneys said in a court filing.
A "notice to appear" sent by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials is among the first steps in the deportation process.
Mr Taal, a doctoral candidate in Africana Studies and dual citizen of Britain and the Gambia, has participated in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack.
US President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and accused them of supporting Hamas and being anti-semitic.
Mr Taal's attorneys called the development a free speech assault. Mr Taal previously filed a lawsuit to block deportations of protesters. He has said he was doxxed.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say their critics wrongly conflate their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with anti-semitism and support for Hamas.
"ICE invites Mr Taal and his counsel to appear in-person at the (Homeland Security Investigations Office) in Syracuse at a mutually agreeable time for personal service of the (Notice to Appear) and for Mr Taal to surrender to ICE custody," a US government e-mail said, according to the filing on March 21.
No timeline was mentioned.
ICE had no immediate comment.
In 2024, Mr Taal was in a group of activists who disrupted a career fair on campus that featured weapons manufacturers and the university thereafter ordered him to study remotely.
Mr Trump's administration has also attempted to deport other foreigners in its crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices. Human rights advocates have widely condemned the moves.
Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil was arrested in March and is legally challenging his detention.
Mr Trump, without evidence, accused Mr Khalil of supporting Hamas. Mr Khalil denies links to the militant group that Washington considers a “foreign terrorist organisation”.
Mr Badar Khan Suri, an Indian studying at Georgetown University, was detained this week. Mr Suri's lawyer denies his client supported Hamas. A federal judge barred Mr Suri's deportation. REUTERS
