Cornell Student Momodou Taal Faces Deportation After Pro-Palestinian Protests:

ICE contacted Taal’s legal team, asking him to surrender to ICE custody and receive a Notice to Appear, a formal step in the deportation process.

Taal, a dual citizen of the UK and The Gambia, is a doctoral candidate in Africana Studies at Cornell University.

Background: Pro-Palestinian Protests

Taal has participated in demonstrations against Israel’s military actions in Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas attack.
He previously filed a lawsuit to prevent deportation of protesters, stating that doxxing and political targeting were being used against him.

Free Speech Concerns Raised

Taal’s attorneys argue this action violates his First Amendment rights and reflects a broader political crackdown on dissent.
Critics argue that deportation moves conflate pro-Palestinian advocacy with antisemitism or terrorism support, which Taal and his supporters deny.

Trump’s Role in Deportation Push

Former President Donald Trump has publicly vowed to deport foreign pro-Palestinian demonstrators, labeling them as Hamas sympathizers without presenting evidence.

Other Students Also Targeted

Mahmoud Khalil, a protester at Columbia University, is challenging his arrest in court.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian student at Georgetown University, was detained this week but received a court order stopping his deportation.

The deportation actions have sparked concerns among free speech advocates and human rights groups, who say they represent an attempt to silence political dissent and target international students based on their protest participation.