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Columbia student fighting deportation says Trump administration lied to search her dorm
Yunseo Chung, a Columbia University student and lawful resident, faces potential detention after her arrest during a protest.
Columbia University student Yunseo Chung's lawyers are alleging that the Trump administration may have submitted “incorrect or false information” to a US judge in order to issue a search warrant for her dormitory.
The 21-year-old Korean-American, who has lived legally in the States since childhood, is currently at the centre of a legal fight over federal efforts to detain and potentially deport her.
In a court filing submitted Friday, Chung’s lawyers urged US District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald to unseal the documents related to the government’s application for the warrant. They argue that the administration used a federal “harbouring” statute—to justify the search of Chung’s university housing. The warrant, issued by a different magistrate judge, was executed earlier in March.
Following the raids on student housing, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated the warrants were part of “an investigation into Columbia University for harbouring and concealing illegal aliens on its campus.”
Temporary restraining order halts DHS actions against lawful resident
The court filing states that Chung arrived in the US from South Korea at age seven and became a lawful permanent resident in 2021. Her attorneys say she is being unfairly targeted despite her legal status.
On March 25, they obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from detaining or transferring her out of New York without court approval.
Chung had been arrested on March 5 for participating in a protest at Barnard College, Columbia’s sister institution, in response to disciplinary actions taken against pro-Palestinian demonstrators. DHS agents visited her parents’ home four days later, and shortly after, federal agents executed search warrants on the apartments of Chung and another student.
“The Warrant would only have been properly supported factually if the materials submitted to the issuing Magistrate Judge, including under oath, stated that Ms. Chung was unlawfully present in the United States. But Ms. Chung is a lawful permanent resident… and Secretary Rubio does not have the unilateral authority to revoke her status,” her lawyers wrote in an April 4 filing.
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“Any possibility that the Court may have been provided incorrect or false information as a basis for the Warrant makes release of the materials critical.”
The Trump administration, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has claimed to have revoked over 300 student visas under the Immigration and Nationality Act, targeting those it deems “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests.”
