Trump Administration Fails to Detain Columbia University Student–for Now
The 21-year-old was issued a temporary restraining order that prevents the feds from detaining her.
Adam Gray/REUTERS
A federal judge has ruled that a Columbia University student facing potential deportation could not be detained by immigration officials as her battle with the Trump administration plays out in court.
U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday that blocked federal agents from detaining Columbia student Yunseo Chung, stating that the government hadn’t presented enough facts about its claims against the student.
Chung’s attorney said that this temporary restraining order means that she “no longer has to live in fear.”
The 21-year-old lawful permanent resident filed a suit Monday against President Trump and members of his administration for attempting to deport her due to her involvement in pro-Palestine protests on campus.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Monday that Chung had “engaged in concerning conduct,” one of which being getting arrested at a March 5 sit-in at a library on Barnard College’s campus.
The Columbia junior has lived in the U.S. since moving from South Korea at 7-years-old. Her lawsuit states that the Trump administration was “attempting to use immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike, including Ms. Chung’s speech.”
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According to the lawsuit, her involvement in pro-Palestine protests led the feds to show up at her parents’ home, obtain a warrant to search her dorm, and revoke her status as a legal permanent resident.
Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer representing Yunseo Chung, one of the Columbia University students that have been subjected to search and detention by federal agents following their participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, speaks to reporters outside a federal courthouse in New York City, U.S., March 25, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz/REUTERS
“ICE’s shocking actions against Ms. Chung form part of a larger pattern of attempted U.S. government repression of constitutionally protected protest activity and other forms of speech,” the lawsuit said.
Chung’s suit is one of many court challenges the Trump administration has been forced to reckon with recently.
Multiple teachers unions filed lawsuits against the administration Monday, four days after Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Education Department. Voice of America journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and four labor organizations also sued members of the Trump administration Friday for shutting down a federally funded media outlet.
Columbia protester Mahmoud Khalil and Cornell University student Momodou Taal, both of whom were targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, were also included in Chung’s suit.
Oral arguments are set to begin on May 20.
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