US immigration officials ask pro-Palestinian Cornell student to surrender

US Immigration officials on Friday urged the legal team of Momodou Taal, a Cornell University student who participated in pro-Palestinian protests, to turn himself in.

A notice to appear sent by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials is said to be among the first steps in the deportation process.

It was gathered that Taal, a doctoral candidate in Africana Studies and dual citizen of the UK and the Gambia, has participated in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters, accusing them of supporting Hamas and being antisemitic.

Taal's attorneys called the development a free speech assault.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, have reportedly said that their critics wrongly conflate their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.

“ICE invites Mr Taal and his counsel to appear in-person at the (Homeland Security Investigations Office) in Syracuse at a mutually agreeable time for personal service of the (Notice to Appear) and for Mr Taal to surrender to ICE custody,” a U.S. government email said.

Last year, Taal was said to be in a group of activists who disrupted a career fair on campus that featured weapons manufacturers and the university thereafter ordered him to study remotely.

Trump's administration has also attempted to deport other foreigners in its crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices.

Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil was arrested this month and is legally challenging his detention.

Trump accused Khalil of supporting Hamas but Khalil denied any links to the militant group that Washington considers a foreign terrorist organization.