In a deeply troubling case that strikes at the heart of America’s constitutional values, a Korean-American college student is facing deportation—not for any crime, but for participating in a peaceful protest.
Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old junior at Columbia University, now finds herself at risk of losing her permanent resident status and being removed from the United States.
Her “offense”? Taking part in a campus protest last year opposing Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already searched her dorm and visited her parents’ home to inform them of her pending arrest and the revocation of her green card.
On March 10, federal prosecutors formally notified her lawyer that her immigration status had been canceled. The Department of Homeland Security claims Chung engaged in “concerning behavior,” citing her participation in a protest that allegedly involved occupying a campus library.
But Chung is no threat to the United States. She immigrated to this country at age 7, grew up here, and is majoring in English and Gender Studies at one of the nation’s most prestigious universities. She has been described by peers and teachers as a model student—someone who gave the commencement speech at her high school graduation.
This is not law enforcement. This is political retaliation.
While officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio have vowed to cancel the visas and green cards of “Hamas supporters,” it is dangerously reductive to equate participation in a pro-Palestinian protest with supporting terrorism. Chung has not been accused of violence, nor of any ties to extremist organizations. Her only “crime” is exercising her First Amendment right to speak out against U.S. foreign policy.
That’s why she and her legal team have filed suit against the federal government, arguing that her removal would be unconstitutional. “Targeting non-citizens for deportation solely for participating in peaceful political protest is a direct attack on free speech,” said her attorney, Naz Ahmad.
A federal judge in Manhattan agreed—at least for now. On March 25, Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald issued a temporary restraining order barring ICE from detaining Chung. In her ruling, she noted that there is no evidence that Chung poses any danger to society or has had contact with terrorist organizations.
The public outcry has been swift and vocal. Korean-American politicians and community leaders have condemned the government’s actions as inhumane and unconstitutional. Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey wrote, “To try and deport a student who has lived in this country since she was seven years old is both cruel and wrong.” Congressman Dave Min, a former law professor at the University of California, emphasized that “freedom of expression is a core American right, and it applies to legal immigrants as well.”
Even Senator Bernie Sanders weighed in: “This is not democracy. Deporting someone for holding a different opinion on foreign policy is not what America stands for.”
The Korean-American community in New York, especially those near Columbia University, has organized rallies in support of Chung. At a March 29 gathering in Fort Lee, more than a hundred people called for an end to political retaliation and affirmed their belief in freedom of speech and immigrant rights.
One attendee summed up the unease many immigrants now feel: “The president may believe he is doing what his supporters want, but undermining America’s fundamental values is something we cannot accept.”
Chung’s case is not an isolated incident. She is now among more than a dozen international students and green card holders—many from countries like Syria, Iran, and Turkey—who are facing deportation for expressing pro-Palestinian views. Their names are circulating online as symbols of a growing crackdown on dissent.
This wave of punitive immigration enforcement is chilling. It sends a message that voicing political disagreement—especially on contentious global issues—could make one a target for removal. It especially endangers immigrants, who may feel they have no right to speak up.
But freedom of expression is not a privilege reserved for citizens. It is a constitutional right that defines who we are as a nation. Using immigration law as a tool for political retribution sets a dangerous precedent. If we allow the government to silence dissenters with the threat of deportation, we risk eroding the very democracy we claim to defend.
By Mooyoung Lee [lee.mooyoung@koreadaily.com]
