“Anything that shows solidarity of Palestine is being mischaracterized quite erroneously as antisemitism. That’s the way in which they are trying to get us to stop speaking about Palestine,” says Momodou Taal, a Cornell University graduate student and activist now facing deportation after challenging the Trump administration in court.
The risks of political speech have escalated dramatically for international students like Taal. He spoke to The Intercept Briefing yesterday, underscoring the chilling reality he and his peers now face. “It’s not just that you might get kicked out of school or suspended,” says Taal, “but you are threatened with deportation and ICE custody now. That’s what’s at stake here.”
Late last week, federal officials sent Taal’s attorney a midnight email demanding he appear before Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday. The email provided no grounds for…