Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – A Gambian-British PhD student at Cornell University, Momodou Taal, is at the center of a legal battle with the Trump administration after filing a lawsuit challenging executive orders that target universities and foreign protesters. Taal, who is pursuing a doctorate in Africana Studies, now faces imminent detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising concerns over the administration’s crackdown on student activists.

Taal, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and The Gambia, filed the lawsuit on Saturday, arguing that the executive orders were designed to suppress dissent, particularly among pro-Palestinian protesters. His attorneys claim that he has been targeted by the same groups that advocated for the arrest of another activist, Mahmoud Khalil, and fear he could be next.

Court documents reveal that Taal was temporarily suspended from Cornell in April and September 2024 for participating in student protests. However, the university opted not to impose harsher penalties that could have jeopardized his immigration status, instead allowing him to continue his studies remotely until Spring 2025.

On Wednesday, Taal posted on X (formerly Twitter) that unidentified law enforcement agents had been seen outside his home in Ithaca, New York. “Trump is attempting to detain me to prevent me from having my day in court,” he wrote. His attorney, Eric Lee, later filed an affidavit warning that the government appeared to be preparing to detain him imminently.

The fears were further validated on Friday when Taal’s legal team received an email from a Justice Department lawyer instructing him to surrender to ICE. The email invited Taal to appear in person at an ICE office in Syracuse for “personal service of the NTA” (Notice to Appear) and subsequent detention.

Lee condemned the move in a statement posted on X, accusing the Trump administration of retaliating against Taal’s legal challenge. “The Trump administration responded to Momodou Taal’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the executive orders by sending agents to stake out his house. When we asked the court to enjoin the administration from detaining Mr. Taal as the case progresses, the administration responded by ordering him to surrender to ICE. This does not happen in a democracy.”

With a hearing set for Tuesday, the case has drawn attention to the broader implications of the administration’s crackdown on student activists, particularly those from foreign backgrounds. Taal’s legal team is seeking a temporary restraining order to block his arrest as the lawsuit proceeds.

His case highlights growing concerns over immigration enforcement being used as a political weapon against dissent, especially in the context of protests related to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

The other two plaintiffs in the case are both US citizens – Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ, a professor in the English department, and Sriram Parasuram, a PhD student in the School of Integrative Plant Science. Their complaint asserts that the administration’s crackdown on protestors “has unconstitutionally silenced plaintiffs and chilled protected expression, prohibiting them from speaking, hearing, or engaging with viewpoints critical of the US government or the government of Israel”.

Taal was suspended twice by Cornell last year for alleged disruptive protest and was told that his suspension could result in him losing his visa, but he was eventually allowed to resume attending classes remotely.

He has faced criticism for online comments after the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. He posted soon after the attack: “Wherever you have oppression, you will find those who fighting against it. Glory to the resistance!”