Judge Temporarily Blocks Detention of Columbia Student Facing Deportation Over Pro-Palestinian Protest

A federal judge says the government failed to present sufficient evidence to justify detaining the student protester as her immigration case proceeds.

Columbia University students protest the Israel–Hamas conflict at Columbia University in New York City on April 27, 2024. Emel Akan/The Epoch Times

A federal judge in New York has ruled that immigration officials may not detain a Columbia University student while she challenges her potential deportation, following her arrest at a pro-Palestinian protest earlier this month.

U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald issued the ruling from the bench during a March 25 hearing in Manhattan, stating that the government had not presented sufficient evidence to justify immediate immigration detention of 21-year-old Yunseo Chung.