A Cornell University student who is facing deportation after his visa was revoked due to campus activism has decided to leave the United States.
Momodou Taal, a Gambian and United Kingdom citizen, had petitioned a federal court to have his detention lifted. However, he stated on X late Monday that he did not believe a legal decision in his favor would ensure his safety or ability to speak out.
“I have lost faith that I can walk the streets without being kidnapped,” Momodou Taal wrote from an unknown location. “Weighing up these options, I took the decision to leave on my own terms.”
Taal’s student visa was revoked in March, according to the government, because he participated in “disruptive protests,” violated university policies, and created a hostile environment for Jewish students.
According to AP correspondent Julie Walker, a Cornell student involved in the Gaza protests has announced his intention to self-deport.
The Trump administration has attempted to deport noncitizens for participating in campus protests that it considers antisemitic and sympathetic to the militant Palestinian organization Hamas. Students claim that the government is targeting them for advocating for Palestinian rights.
Taal, a 31-year-old doctoral student in Africana studies at an Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York, was suspended last fall after a group of pro-Palestinian activists disrupted a campus career fair. He had been doing his studies remotely this semester.
Taal filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming his right to free speech. The lawsuit was withdrawn on Monday.
Taal’s post did not specify where he was writing from or where he planned to live next. He did not immediately respond to a text requesting comment.
“Everything I have tried to do has been in service of affirming the humanity of the Palestinian people, a struggle that will leave a lasting mark on me,” Taal wrote in an email.
His attorney, Eric Lee, did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Lee wrote on X, “What is America if people like Momodou are not welcome here?”
