Cornell student activist denied bid to immediately stop the government from trying to deport him
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/03/2025 (514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — A judge on Thursday declined to immediately block the U.S. government from taking steps to deport a Cornell University student whose visa was revoked over his participation in campus demonstrations.
U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Coombe also rejected Momodou Taal’s request to halt the enforcement of two presidential executive orders that spurred a recent crackdown on international students who, like him, have been involved in pro-Palestinian activism.
The government says it revoked Taal’s student visa because of his alleged involvement in “disruptive protests,” as well as for disregarding university policies and creating a hostile environment for Jewish students. The doctoral student in Africana studies, who is a citizen of the United Kingdom and Gambia, was suspended last fall after a group of pro-Palestinian activists disrupted a campus career fair. He had been continuing his studies remotely.
Coombe wrote that Taal, 31, did not meet the high burden for the temporary restraining orders he was seeking. The judge added that Taal had not established that she had jurisdiction to halt his deportation proceedings, which play out in immigration courts.
Taal and two co-plaintiffs initially filed a lawsuit against the government March 15 seeking to block enforcement of the executive orders that he believed could lead to his deportation, arguing they violate free speech rights.
He was later told that his student visa had already been revoked before the suit was filed, but that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had trouble locating him. He was told to surrender himself to immigration authorities.
The Trump administration has recently attempted to remove several noncitizens from the country for participating in campus protests that the government deems antisemitic and sympathetic to the militant Palestinian group Hamas. Students say the government is targeting them for advocating for Palestinian rights.
A call seeking comment was made to Taal’s lawyer.