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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A 21-year-old Columbia University student has said a federal judge's block on immigration officials' attempt to deport her "feels like a million pounds off of my chest."
Yunseo Chung, a legal permanent U.S. resident, sued President Donald Trump and top administration officials on Monday over the bid to arrest, detain and ultimately deport her in connection to her participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations earlier this month.
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration halt those attempts.
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"After the constant dread in the back of my mind over the past few weeks, this decision feels like a million pounds off of my chest," Chung told Newsweek in a statement provided via her attorneys.
"I feel like I could fly. I'm so, so grateful to my legal team and my community of professors, students, and staff at Columbia that have given me strength at every turn."
The Justice Department declined to comment when approached by Newsweek.
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Why It Matters
Trump has pledged to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses.
Attempts, as part of that push, to deport permanent U.S. residents have raised questions about free speech and the risk of deportation.
Another permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who played a prominent role in Gaza war protests last year, was detained by immigration officials in Louisiana, more than 1,000 miles from his home in New York. A federal judge also halted attempts to deport Khalil.
What to Know
During a hearing in Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald said "nothing in the record" suggested Chung posed a threat to the community, a "foreign-policy risk," or had any contact with terrorist organizations.
Judge Buchwald entered a temporary restraining order while attorneys litigate the case. The judge's order requires the government to "provide sufficient advance notice" to Chung and her attorneys if it attempted to detain her under a different statute.
The Trump administration invoked an infrequently used legal statute to defend its efforts to deport Chung. The government argued her presence in the United States obstructs the administration's foreign policy objective of preventing the spread of antisemitism. Israel has been at war with Palestinian organization Hamas since October 2023.
Chung was arrested this month alongside several other students during a pro-Palestinian protest.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Chung "has engaged in concerning conduct, including when she was arrested by NYPD during a pro-Hamas protest at Barnard College," Columbia's sister school in Manhattan.
"She is being sought for removal proceedings under the immigration laws," McLaughlin said. "Chung will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge."
ICE officials made several efforts to arrest the 21-year-old, her lawsuit said. Federal agents visited her parents' home, contacted Chung directly, and, after federal prosecutors got involved, searched two Columbia University campus residences.
"Ms. Chung is in good spirits," Ramzi Kassem, a law professor at the City University of New York and co-director of CLEAR, a clinic and nonprofit that represents Chung, told Newsweek in an interview.
"Yesterday's news was a weight off of her chest. She spent the last period of time living in fear of being suddenly arrested by ICE, even though she's a permanent resident of the United States. She's just a college student," he added.
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"She's a straight-A college student at that, and all she's done is speak up in defense of Palestinian human rights. Not the sort of thing you would expect to land you behind bars, but that was exactly what ICE intended to do."
He said the court order "means that Ms. Chung can finally sleep without fear of arbitrary arrest by ICE and being taken to a distant prison," a nod to New York resident Khalil being held in a Louisiana detention center.
What People Are Saying
Yunseo Chung's lawyer Ramzi Kassem told Newsweek: "There's nothing that the Secretary of State can say about how a 21-year-old college junior somehow jeopardizes the foreign policy of the United States. But even if you take that as true, which is absurd, it still doesn't trump the First Amendment to the Constitution and people's free speech rights."
What Happens Next
Chung's case is now likely to be litigated by lawyers for both sides.
Khalil's hearing is scheduled for Friday in New Jersey.
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