A graduate student from Cornell University, who had his visa revoked amid protests against Israel, has made the decision to leave the United States rather than face deportation. Momodou Taal, a dual citizen of the UK and The Gambia, faced this action due to his participation in demonstrations on campus during the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Previously, Mr. Taal attempted to contest his deportation through legal means; however, following a judge’s refusal to grant a delay in his case, he announced via a post on X that he would depart the country “free and with my head held high.” This decision comes in the wake of intensified scrutiny from the Trump administration towards international students involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
Background on the situation
Mr. Taal is reportedly the second international student to voluntarily leave the US under pressure from the Department of Homeland Security. In such instances, the Trump administration has termed these departures as “self-deportations.” Expressing his feelings on social media, he stated, “Given what we have seen across the United States, I have lost faith that a favourable ruling from the courts would guarantee my personal safety and ability to express my beliefs.”
Furthermore, Mr. Taal expressed concerns for his safety, saying, “I have lost faith I could walk the streets without being abducted. Weighing up these options, I took the decision to leave on my own terms.” His activism has previously led to two suspensions from Cornell, a prestigious Ivy League institution in New York.
A trend among international students
On the day of the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023, Mr. Taal publicly declared his support, stating, “Glory to the Resistance.” He later addressed a crowd of protestors, asserting their solidarity with the armed resistance in Palestine. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, over 300 university students have had their visas revoked due to participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Trump administration officials argue that the Immigration and Nationality Act permits the State Department to deport non-citizens deemed “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests” of the US. This approach is part of a broader initiative to counter what the administration has labeled as antisemitism, as outlined in an executive order issued in January.
Critics of this policy have condemned the deportations as breaches of free speech rights. Another international student, Indian scholar Ranjani Srinivasan, who also chose to leave the US, shared her desire to clear her name. “I’m not a terrorist sympathizer,” she asserted in an interview, adding that she hopes to return to Columbia University—an institution notably affected by last year’s protests—to complete her PhD program.