Columbia student sues Trump after official says her permanent legal status in the US is revoked
A federal judge in New York on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order blocking federal agents from detaining Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old Columbia student who is suing President Donald Trump.
Judge Naomi Buchwald said her order would remain in effect until she can hold a hearing on Chung's lawsuit. The student's attorneys said the TRO means Chung "no longer has to live in fear."
Chung, who has lived in the United States since she moved from South Korea at age 7 and had become a legal permanent resident, participated in demonstrations in defense of Palestinians in Gaza and in her lawsuit accused Trump and other officials of "attempting to use immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike" -- including Chung's.
Federal immigration agents showed up at Yunseo Chung's apartment near the Columbia University campus on March 13, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
However, law enforcement officials told ABC News at the time that the woman they were seeking was not there when the agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations arrived.
Because Chung participated in a March 5 sit-in inside of an academic building at Barnard College, in addition to demonstrating outside, the federal agents searched her dorm, showed up at her parents' house and said her status as a legal permanent resident had been revoked, according to her lawsuit.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.
The Department of Homeland Security shared a statement with ABC News on Tuesday, prior to the TRO, saying Chung had engaged in "concerning conduct" and cited her prior arrest during a protest at Barnard College. The DHS described it as a "pro-Hamas" protest and added, "ICE HSI will investigate individuals engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization."
The statement went on to say, "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."
The statement did not acknowledge that Chung had been present in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident, rather than on a visa, and had not been in the country illegally.
However, DHS confirmed: "She is being sought for removal proceedings under the immigration laws. Chung will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge."
"If Ms. Chung is detained and deported, she will be indefinitely separated from her family and community," her filing said. "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."
Trump's administration argued that Chung's 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, a Palestinian activist who was escorted from Columbia on March 8.
According to the sources, the actions against Chung are part of the Trump administration's crackdown on individuals it has described as espousing the views of Hamas and threatening the safety of Jewish students.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
