Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old student at Columbia University, has sued the Trump administration, charging that officials tried to deport her even though she is a lawful permanent resident. Chung, born in South Korea, has lived in the United States legally since childhood and was granted permanent resident status in 2021. Her lawsuit accuses the administration of targeting her because she took part in pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Deportation Attempt of Yunseo Chung and Legal Challenge
Lawyers of Yunseo Chung submitted a complaint on Monday, denouncing the administration’s move as a “shocking overreach” and an “unprecedented and unjustifiable assault” on her rights. As per the suit, the Donald Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers executed an administrative arrest warrant against Yunseo Chung merely a few days following her March 5 arrest for participating in a campus protest. Officials went as far as raiding her parents’ home and Columbia University dormitory as a means to apprehend her.
An ICE official reportedly informed her lawyer that she was being de-naturalized, although only an immigration judge has the right to do so. Chung is now seeking the court to enjoin her detention, removal outside New York City, or removal from the United States.
Who is Yunseo Chung?
Chung is a junior at Columbia University and has been active in pro-Palestinian demonstrations since 2023. She immigrated to the U.S. at the age of seven with her family and has maintained legal residency for over a decade. According to her complaint, the government is retaliating against her for her political beliefs and protest activities.
This has nothing to do with national security. This is about suppressing dissent,” her lawyers said in court documents.
Details of the Lawsuit
Filed on Monday, Chung’s suit lists Trump, Senator Marco Rubio, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and other government officials as defendants. The suit alleges that Rubio directly ordered Chung’s legal status to be revoked. Interestingly enough, both Trump and Rubio have publicly advocated deporting noncitizens who engage in pro-Palestinian rallies.
The complaint asserts: “ICE’s outrageous conduct against Chung is part of a broader pattern of attempted U.S. government suppression of constitutionally protected protest and other speech.”
It also alleges that the government is trying to “retaliate against and punish noncitizens” for criticizing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and American policies favorable to Israel.
“Ms. Chung is challenging (the government’s) pattern and practice of targeting individuals who are linked to protests for Palestinian rights for immigration enforcement in retaliation for their core protected political speech,” the complaint says.
Other Cases of Deportation Attempts
Chung is not alone among students threatened with deportation for pro-Palestinian activism. Other cases include:
Mahmoud Khalil: A Palestinian rights activist who coordinated demonstrations at Columbia University was arrested last month. Immigration officials said they were acting on an order to revoke his green card. Khalil is still being held in Louisiana.
Ranjani Srinivasan: A graduate student from India at Columbia University escaped to Canada after her student visa was revoked by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS charged her with being a Hamas supporter but had no evidence.
Badar Khan Suri: An Indian student at Georgetown University was arrested last week on charges of distributing Hamas propaganda. His lawyers claim that the arrest is political because his wife is an American citizen of Palestinian origin.
Escalating Fear Among Foreign Students
The recent spate of deportation efforts has also alarmed international students and human rights activists. Some U.S. embassies in Europe have issued alerts to potential travelers. A message from the U.S. embassy in Estonia states:
“When you come into the United States and you have a visa, you are a guest. But if you have come into the country to proselytize for Hamas, to proselytize terrorist groups, to engage in vandalism, to engage in acts of rebellion and riots on campuses, we never would admit you if we had known that. You lied to us. You’re out.”
Chung’s lawsuit against the Trump administration underscores a wider controversy over the rights of noncitizens to participate in political protests. Her case, as it goes to trial, has already raised alarms about the possibility of government overreach and the stifling of free speech. Legal analysts argue that the case has the potential to establish an important precedent for how immigrant activists are treated in the United States.
As events unfold, international students and activist groups stay on guard worrying that more can be deported for voicing political opinions.
