On March 24, 2025, together with the CLEAR (Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility) Project, Human Rights First, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Law Office of Matthew Bray, and Jonathan Hafetz, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP sued President Trump and five other members of his Administration to challenge the federal government’s attempts to detain and deport Yunseo Chung, a twenty-old-year-old junior at Columbia University and lawful permanent resident of the United States, because of her protected speech.

Ms. Chung has participated in student protests and demonstrations on Columbia’s campus related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and Columbia’s handling of student discipline over Palestine-related speech. On March 5, 2025, at a protest related to Barnard’s expulsion of three students, she was caught between the crowd and the police and ultimately arrested and charged with obstruction of governmental administration, a common charge levied by the NYPD against protesters. Mere days later, the federal government began targeting Ms. Chung for deportation, with agents visiting her parents’ house and searching her dormitory, multiple government employees claiming that her lawful permanent resident status was revoked, and an administrative arrest warrant naming Ms. Chung.

The government’s retaliation against Ms. Chung is part a broad-sweeping push by the Trump Administration to silence noncitizens who have exercised, or who are perceived to have exercised, their First Amendment rights to speak out in support of Palestinians and Palestinian rights. ECBAWM and co-counsel moved quickly for a temporary restraining order prohibiting the government from detaining Ms. Chung or transferring her from the Southern District of New York while her claims are litigated. On March 25, 2025, the Court granted Ms. Chung’s request.

In response to the Court’s order, ECBAWM associate Sonya Levitova said, “The Trump Administration is targeting Yunseo for deportation because the government doesn’t like what she thinks or says. We cannot live in a country where that is permitted to happen. We’re grateful to the Court for acting so quickly to protect Yunseo’s ability to live her life as a twenty-one-year-old college student, and we will continue to fight to vindicate Yunseo’s rights in court.”

Coverage of Ms. Chung’s lawsuit and the Court’s order is available at: 

Columbia Student Hunted by ICE Sues to Prevent Deportation
Judge Orders U.S. to Stop Attempts to Deport Columbia Undergraduate
Judge Orders ICE to Stop Trying to Arrest 21-Year-Old Columbia Student
Judge blocks immigration officials from arresting Columbia student
Federal judge issues temporary restraining order stopping federal agents from detaining Columbia University student
Judge rules pro-Palestinian student and permanent US resident cannot be detained
Judge rules Columbia protester can’t be detained as she fights deportation
Judge rules Columbia protester Yunseo Chung can’t be detained as she fights deportation
Judge blocks Trump administration from deporting 21-year-old Columbia protester and green card holder

Ms. Chung is represented by ECBAWM attorneys Jonathan S. Abady, Katie Rosenfeld, and Sonya Levitova, along with attorneys from the CLEAR (Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility), Human Rights First, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Law Office of Matthew Bray, and Jonathan Hafetz.