Pro-Palestinian Cornell student activist told to surrender to immigration authorities

A Cornell University student who sued the Trump administration because he feared it would try to deport him for participating in pro-Palestinian protests has been asked to surrender to immigration authorities.

Momodou Taal, a PhD student in Africana studies, got a notice Friday telling him to report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to his attorneys. The agency did not set a deadline.

Taal, 31, filed a lawsuit March 15 seeking to block enforcement of executive orders by US President Donald Trump that have led to a growing crackdown on international students who participated in campus protests against Israel. Taal is a citizen of the United Kingdom and Gambia.

In a court filing, US Department of Justice lawyers said Taal’s student visa had also been revoked, even before he filed his lawsuit, but ICE agents had trouble locating him.

The revocation is based on Taal’s alleged involvement in “disruptive protests,” disregarding university policies and creating a hostile environment for Jewish students, the government said.

Taal was suspended from Cornell for a second time last fall after a group of pro-Palestinian activists disrupted a campus career fair. He has limited access to the upstate New York campus as he continues his studies remotely.