Bernie Sanders slams Trump for targeting anyone who opposes him
President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign seemingly includes United States residents who are oppose him. Senator Bernie Sanders, who is an outspoken critic of Trump, rebuked the president on X.
“Trump is trying to deport a Columbia Univ. student who has been a permanent resident in the U.S. since she was 7,” Sanders alleged against Trump on his X post. He claimed that the student in question was up for deportation for attending protests against the war in Gaza. “No, Mr. President. This is a democracy. You can’t exile political dissidents. Not in the United States,” Sanders reminded the president.
Yunseo Chung is a Columbia University student from South Korea. She has lived in the United States since she was seven years old with her family. Simply put, Chung doesn’t need a student visa to stay in the United States given her status as a permanent resident.
“The government’s actions are an unprecedented and unjustifiable assault on First Amendment and other rights, one that cannot stand basic legal scrutiny,” the lawsuit said.
Chung attended a protest against the expulsion of schoolmates who were involved in pro-Palestinian activism. Four days later, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) searched for her at her family home and student dorm. The warrant warned against “harboring non-citizens”—which shouldn’t apply to Chung, who is a green card holder. But apparently, Chung’s lawyer reported that her green card was revoked.
Regardless, Chung fought the threat and sued the Trump administration for attempting to deport her. Thankfully, the federal judge ruled against her detainment. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald granted the United States government a temporary restraining order to protect Chung from deportation.
Promises kept
Unfortunately, Chung’s case isn’t unique. This doesn’t come as a surprise, given that Trump has promised repeatedly that he will “throw” student protestors out of the country during his 2024 presidential campaign. While unjust, another pro-Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, was also targeted by the Trump administration.
Khalil was also a green card holder who had his status revoked for engaging in pro-Palestinian activity. The administration argued that Khalil “failed to disclose continuing employment by the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut” as a reason for detainment. Therefore, the administration denies that the arrest is related to political speech. Nonetheless, these technicalities seem suspect. Congress members have also protested for Khalil’s release, but everything boils down to the brilliance of his legal defense.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
