US Court Temporarily Halts Deportation of Korean Student at Columbia University Over Anti-War Protest

Judge: "No Record of Jeong Posing a Threat to U.S. Foreign Policy"

The U.S. court has ordered a temporary halt to the deportation attempt of Jeong Mo (21), a Korean student at Columbia University, who is facing deportation from the United States for attending an anti-war protest in Gaza.

On the 20th (local time), a protest opposing the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, who led a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia University in the United States, is underway. Photo by Getty Images Yonhap News

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 25th (local time), Judge Naomi Buchwald of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York decided to grant Jeong's request to temporarily suspend the Trump administration's attempt to deport him.

Judge Buchwald ordered that U.S. authorities are prohibited from detaining Jeong or transferring him outside the jurisdiction of the Southern District of New York until further court orders are issued. Additionally, if the authorities intend to detain Jeong for other reasons before the court's final ruling, they must provide sufficient advance notice to the court and Jeong's attorneys to allow him an opportunity to present his views. During the hearing, Judge Buchwald stated, "There is no record indicating that Jeong poses a threat to the community or foreign policy, nor that he has communicated with terrorist organizations."

Earlier, Jeong filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and related ministers, requesting a halt to the deportation proceedings against him. According to the complaint, Jeong, a junior at Columbia University, has been tracked by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to his participation in anti-war protests.

Jeong immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of seven and graduated at the top of his high school class before entering the prestigious Ivy League Columbia University. As a permanent resident, he became a target of immigration authorities after being arrested by police on the 5th for attending a protest against university disciplinary actions toward campus anti-war protest participants. U.S. authorities notified Jeong's attorneys that his permanent resident status had been revoked and even searched Columbia University dormitories to locate him.

In the complaint, Jeong argued, "The expression of political views by non-citizens should not be used as a means of punishment through detention and deportation threats by immigration authorities simply because those views do not align with the current administration's policies."

U.S. authorities have been taking tough measures such as arrests and deportations against university students and scholars who have led or participated in pro-Palestinian protests. ICE began arresting those involved in the protests starting with Mahmoud Khalil, who was responsible for negotiations with university authorities and media responses during the Columbia University anti-war protest on the 8th, and has continued to arrest others involved.

The Trump administration argues that deporting Khalil and other protest participants is justified because they interfere with the U.S. administration's foreign policy goal of preventing the spread of anti-Semitism. However, a U.S. federal court previously halted the authorities' deportation procedures against Khalil.