Momodou Taal, the Gambian-British graduate student who sued to block the Trump administration from deporting him from the US for his strident support for Palestine, has ended his legal challenge and decided the leave the country.
Yesterday, the Cornell University student wrote on his social media page:
“I would like first to thank from the bottom of my heart every single individual and organisation that supported me through this, particularly my fantastic legal team. Everything I have tried to do has been in service of affirming the humanity of the Palestinian people, a struggle that will leave a lasting mark on me.
“Today I took the decision to leave the United States, free and with my head held high. For those following this story: I decided to sue the Trump administration with the hope that it would offer reprieve for myself and other similarly situated persons. But Trump did not want me to have my day in court and sent ICE agents to my home and revoked my visa. 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.
“Given what we have seen across the United States, I have lost faith that a favourable ruling from the courts would guarantee my personal safety and ability to express my beliefs. I have lost faith, I don’t think I could walk the streets without being abducted. Weighing up these options, I took the decision to leave on my own terms.
“This is of course 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 law.
For every person that has remained silent, just know that you are not safe either. Is the imprisonment of those who speak out against a genocide a reflection of your values? Is this the kind of nation you want to live in? We are already seeing the Trump administration exploiting the complicity of those who have remained silent on the Zionist genocide of Palestinians. The repression of Palestinian solidarity is now being used to wage a wholesale attack on any form of expression that challenges oppressive and exploitative relations in the US…”
The Trump administration is cracking down on international students who have been active in protests against Israel on university campuses.
Mr Taal is at least the second international student to opt to leave the US after being targeted for removal by the US Department of Homeland Security.
At least 300 university students had their student visas revoked due to involvement in pro-Palestinian protests, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week.
