Columbia student files lawsuit against Trump after feds allegedly search dorm; judge grants TRO

NEW YORK CITY -- A federal judge in New York on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order blocking federal agents from detaining Yunseo Chung, the 21-year-old Columbia student who alleged in a lawsuit that she has been targeted over her participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Judge Naomi Buchwald said her order would remain in effect until she can hold a hearing on her lawsuit

Her attorneys said the TRO means Chung "no longer has to live in fear."

Oral arguments are set for May 20.

Chung said she was who federal agents were after when they showed up at a residence near Columbia earlier this month. She filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump.

Chung, a legal permanent resident who has lived in the U.S. since she moved from South Korea at age 7, participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and accused Trump and other officials of "attempting to use immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike, including Ms.
Chung's speech."

Since Chung participated in a March 5 sit-in inside and a demonstration outside an academic building at Barnard College, the feds have searched her dorm, showed up at her parents' house and revoked her status as a legal permanent resident, according to her lawsuit.

"The prospect of imminent detention, to be followed by deportation proceedings, has chilled her speech. Ms. Chung is now concerned about speaking up about the ongoing ordeal of Palestinians in Gaza as well as what is happening on her own campus: the targeting of her fellow students by the federal government, the arbitrary disciplinary process she and others are undergoing, and the failure of the university to protect noncitizen students," the lawsuit said. "If Ms. Chung is detained and deported, she will be indefinitely separated from her family and community. Ms. Chung's parents reside in the continental United States, and her sister is set to start college in the United States in the fall."

The Trump administration argues her presence poses risks to foreign policy and to halting the spread of antisemitism, the same rationale the administration invoked for the detention of Mahmoud Khalil.

The Columbia University graduate student was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 as part of Trump's crackdown on what he calls antisemitic and "anti-American" campus protests. Khalil served as a spokesperson and negotiator last year for pro-Palestinian demonstrators who opposed Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Khalil, who was born in Syria to a Palestinian family, has said in a statement that his detention reflects "anti-Palestinian racism" in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement, saying: Yunseo Chung has engaged in concerning conduct, including when she was arrested by NYPD during a pro-Hamas protest at Barnard College. She is being sought for removal proceedings under the immigration laws. Chung will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge.

"ICE HSI will investigate individuals engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization. Based on investigative findings, the Department of State may make a determination which may result in visa revocation or other action impacting the immigration status of an alien in the U.S. Upon the determination from the Department of State, ICE will take appropriate enforcement actions."