A Columbia University student who took part in pro-Palestinian protests at the university is suing Donald Trump’s administration for attempting to deport her.
Attorneys for Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old who has legally resided in the US since childhood, filed a complaint on Monday describing the government’s actions as “shocking overreach” and an “unprecedented and unjustifiable assault” on her rights.
Chung has participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus since 2023, and was arrested earlier this month while protesting the university’s “excessive punishments” of student activists, according to the lawsuit, which was first reported by the New York Times.
Days later, the suit states, immigration authorities began efforts to arrest Chung and remove her from the country, and an official told her lawyer her status as a permanent resident was being “revoked”.
The development comes as the Trump administration has cracked down on immigrants who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests by seeking to strip them of their legal status and deport them.
Earlier this month, immigration officials arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who helped lead protests at Columbia, and said they were acting on an order from the state department to revoke his green card. He remains in custody in Louisiana. His arrest sent fear through the university’s community of international students who worry they could have their visas revoked.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of Chung names Trump, Marco Rubio – who the lawsuit states ordered the revocation of Chung’s legal status – Kristi Noem and other officials. Trump and Rubio have both voiced support for revoking the visas of international students who take part in pro-Palestinian protests. Earlier this month, during a press conference about Khalil, Rubio said the government would “kick out” green card holders who participate in such demonstrations.
Meanwhile some US embassies in Europe have posted warnings to potential tourists. A US embassy in Estonia wrote: “When you apply to enter the United States and you get a visa, you are a guest. Now, if you are in this country to promote Hamas, to promote terrorist organizations, to participate in vandalism, to participate in acts of rebellion and riots on campus, we never would have let you in if we had known that. You lied to us. You’re out.”
But the Trump administration is also targeting longtime residents of the US. Chung, a junior at Columbia, has resided in the US since age seven when her family immigrated to the US. She became a permanent resident in 2021, according to the complaint.
Just three days after New York police arrested Chung while she was participating in demonstrations at Columbia, an Ice official reportedly signed an administrative arrest warrant for the student, according to the suit. The following day Ice agents went to Chung’s parents home looking for her and days later executed search warrants at two Columbia properties, including Chung’s dorm.
Chung’s suit accuses the Trump administration of a “larger pattern of attempted US government repression of constitutionally protected protest activity and other forms of speech” and states the government is seeking to “retaliate against and punish noncitizens like Ms Chung for their participation in protests”.
“Ms Chung is challenging [the government’s] pattern and practice of targeting individuals associated with protests for Palestinian rights for immigration enforcement in retaliation for their core protected political speech,” the suit states.
