civics: Homeland Security had sought to detain Yunseo Chung, a green-card holder originally from South Korea who has lived in the U.S. since she was a child
Jenna Telesca Joseph Pisani and Jennifer Calfas:
A federal judge ordered immigration authorities to stop their efforts to detain a Columbia University junior who participated in pro-Palestinian protests until further notice from the court.
Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order, a day after Yunseo Chung sued the Trump administration to prevent her deportation. The judge, appointed by President Bill Clinton, scheduled a hearing for May 20.
The Department of Homeland Security issued an arrest warrant for the 21-year-old student on March 8, according to court records. Chung, a permanent resident, moved to the U.S. at age 7 from South Korea.
Her lawyers say she has broken no laws and the Trump administration is seeking to strip her green card because of her advocacy work.
“Simply put, immigration enforcement—here, immigration detention and threatened deportation—may not be used as a tool to punish noncitizen speakers who express political views disfavored by the current administration,” they wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security said it was seeking Chung’s deportation in line with immigration law. “Yunseo Chung has engaged in concerning conduct, including when she was arrested by NYPD during a pro-Hamas protest at Barnard College,” a spokesperson for the department said. Columbia declined to comment.
