Cornell student self-deports after visa revoked rather than take up legal battle

A foreign student at Cornell University has decided to self-deport from the United States after his visa was revoked over his participation in anti-Israel protests on campus last spring. Momodou Taal, 31, a British-Gambian dual citizen, announced on Monday that he had opted to voluntarily leave the country after a judge declined to block the government from taking steps to deport him.

Taal had filed a federal lawsuit on March 15 against the Trump administration on behalf of several foreign students facing similar fates for their participation in the disruptive anti-Israel protests. The lawsuit argued free speech violations, but US District Court Judge Elizabeth C. Coombe rejected to place a temporary restraining order on President Trump's immigration executive orders last week.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained in a statement to CBS News on Tuesday that Taal was targeted for deportation because he was a "terrorist sympathizer." The agency revoked Taal's visa on March 21.

The student praised the Palestinian Hamas terror group on social media the day after Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023, killing over 1,000 innocent Israelis and kidnapping hundreds, stating, "Glory to the Resistance." He then told the Cornell Daily Sun, "We are in solidarity with the armed resistance in Palestine from river to sea."

 

Taal announced his decision to self-deport from the United States in a post on X: "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 a reprieve for myself and other similarly situated people. But Trump did not want me to have my day in court and sent ICE agents to my home and revoked my visa."

"Given what we have seen across the United States, I have lost faith that a favorable ruling from the courts would guarantee my personal safety and ability to express my beliefs," he continued. "I have lost faith I could walk the streets without being abducted. Weighing up these options, I took the decision to leave on my own terms."

Taal alleged in a court filing that DHS agents visited his home on March 19 in an effort to detain him but were unsuccessful. His visa was revoked several days later, on March 21.

The DHS spokesperson defended the revocation of Taal's visa, saying, "It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America. When you advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. We are pleased to confirm that this Cornell University terrorist sympathizer heeded Secretary Noem's advice to self-deport."
 

Several other students targeted by the administration have followed Secretary Noem's guidance and self-deported in recent weeks, while others have been confined in ICE detention centers awaiting court hearings.