A Cornell University student whose student visa was revoked because of his involvement in anti-Israel campus protests has fled the US to dodge arrest by authorities. Momodou Taal, a dual citizen of the UK and Gambia, said he left the country after a federal judge refused to halt his possible detention while he was fighting his deportation under President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to the Trump administration, Taal’s student visa was revoked because of his involvement in “disruptive protests” at the Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York, last year. It also accused Taal of creating a hostile environment for Jewish students and disregarding the policies of the university.
Who is Momodou Taal?
Taal, 31, is a doctoral student in Africana studies. Last fall, he was suspended for his involvement in a pair of disruptive on-campus anti-Israel protests, the New York Post reported. While he continued his studies remotely, he was asked to turn himself in to immigration officials last month over the terminated visa.
In an April 1 post on X, he wrote, “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.”
“I decided to sue the Trump administration with the hope that it would offer reprieve for myself and other similarly situated persons,” Taal added. “But Trump did not want me to have my day in court and sent ICE agents to my home and revoked my visa.”
{{/usCountry}}“I decided to sue the Trump administration with the hope that it would offer reprieve for myself and other similarly situated persons,” Taal added. “But Trump did not want me to have my day in court and sent ICE agents to my home and revoked my visa.”
{{/usCountry}}To avoid deportation, Taal had filed a lawsuit claiming his actions fell under free speech.
“We held out, but our first motion was denied. We were due to submit a second briefing with the hope that I could stay out of detention whilst the lawsuit progressed,” Taal’s post read.
“This, of course, is not the outcome I had wanted going into this, but we are facing a government that has no respect for the judiciary or for the rule of the law,” it added.
Amid news of Taal’s departure from the country, the lawsuit was abruptly withdrawn Monday, March 31. It remains unclear when Taal left the United States or from where he shared the post.