Korean-American Yoon Zeo Chung, 21, is one of several students challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to expel them into Palestinian pro-protection activities.
The judge ruled that Yoon Zeo Chung, a 21-year-old Korean-American student at Columbia University, who has been sought to be deported by President Donald Trump’s administration, would not be detained as she fights in an attempt to take her out of the United States over Palestinian views.
“As of today, Yoon Zeo Chung doesn’t need to live in fear of ice anymore [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] “Chon’s lawyer Ramji Qassem will come to her doorstep after the court’s ruling on Tuesday to lure her out,” he said.
US District Judge Naomi Reiss Buchold said government lawyers have yet to reveal sufficient facts about their claim that students must be detained while her case against deportation is taking place in court.
“The reason why Ms. Chong had a potentially serious and unfavorable diplomatic impact was not clear either,” the judge cited the rationale that the Trump administration called in the Chong case, saying that other student protesters were trying to steal their Palestinian activities.
“What is the issue of allowing her to remain in the community and not be imprisoned on ice while the parties participate in a reasonable and orderly briefing?” The judge said he was using a legal term to embody the arguments in court applications.
The ruling of Chung, who has been living in the United States since she was seven years old and has held permanent residency, was a small victory in a massive lawsuit attempting to block the US government against non-citizen deportees who participated in university campus protests against Israeli war in Gaza.
Although Jung had not attended the hearing, around 12 supporters were watching quietly from the court audience.
According to a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, Chong is “sought for removal lawsuits under the Immigration Act” to engage in “conduct allegations,” including his arrest in the protest.
Cheong said in her lawsuit that ICE agents are trying to banish her after their arrest on March 5, protesting disciplinary action against Columbia University student protesters. Her legal team was informed earlier this month that her permanent residency in the US had been revoked.
Such actions form part of “a larger pattern of US government attempts to suppress constitutional activities and other forms of speech,” and Chung’s lawsuit cites the Trump administration’s attempt to force other international students across the country.
One such case is Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University. His deportation attempts surrounding his role in the pro-Palestinian protests in Colombia are one of the most well-known of several students Trump has targeted. Detained, Halil described himself as a political prisoner who was detained for exercising his free speech.
Halil has also challenged the Trump administration’s efforts to take him out of the country, and on March 10, the New York District Court banned his deportation, extending it two days later.
Another student deported is Momodou Taal from Cornell University.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian student at Georgetown University, faces a similar situation as he remains detained by the government. However, federal judges have now banned him from deportation.
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