BREAKING: Pro-Palestine Student Activist Momodou Taal Leaves U.S. Amid Deportation Threats Momodou Taal, a British Gambian pro-Palestine activist and former PhD student at Cornell University, announces that he has left the United States, following ongoing threats of deportation. Taal faced escalating pressure from the U.S. government after filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging two executive orders that targeted pro-Palestinian and anti-genocide activism. In a statement shared on social media, Taal expresses his gratitude to those who have supported him throughout this ordeal. He recounts how the Trump administration attempted to prevent his day in court, sending ICE agents to his home and revoking his visa. Despite a court denial of his first motion, Taal had hoped a second briefing would allow him to remain in the country while the lawsuit proceeded. Taal writes, however, that he has lost faith in the U.S. legal system’s ability to guarantee his safety and freedom, explaining, “I have lost faith I could walk the streets without being abducted.” He said the U.S. government has shown a disregard for both the judiciary and the rule of law and criticized the silence of those who have not spoken out against the ongoing genocide in Palestine: “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?” He also writes, “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 U.S.” Reaffirming his commitment to a liberated Palestine, and urging continued support, he said: “Do not seek to secure your personal safety by undermining the Palestinian right of resistance.” “A world where genocidal violence can be waged with impunity is a world built on hatred and cowardice. Such a world will, over time, destroy itself entirely. The only future, the only world, we can accept is one that will have a liberated and reconstructed Gaza at its heart.” He concludes his message expressing confidence in the eventual liberation of Palestine and with a reminder of the larger struggle and the long-term fight for justice, writing, “As sad as I feel right now, I do not despair. I have never been more confident and sure that we will win and that Palestine will be free within our lifetime. History will absolve us.”

REPORT: The Trump administration is attempting to deport non-citizens due to their perceived pro-Palestinian support or criticism of U.S.-Israeli genocide in Gaza. Here’s an updated list of those known to have been targeted by the U.S. government: 🧵🔽 1. Mahmoud Khalil (Targeted: March 8, 2025) Khalil, a 30-year-old Syrian-born Algerian citizen and Columbia University graduate student (master’s in international affairs), was arrested on March 8, 2025, at his Manhattan apartment. He’s detained at the ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana, facing deportation after the Trump administration accused him of risking “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,” per a DHS document cited by The Guardian. On March 23, DHS filed additional claims, alleging he “withheld that he worked for [UNRWA]” and “failed to disclose continuing employment by the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut” on his 2024 green card application, per Reuters. In Newark federal court on March 28, Judge Michael Farbiarz said he’d rule “as quickly as I can” on jurisdiction and bail, leaving Khalil in custody pending a decision.