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By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. immigration officials on Friday sent an email to the legal team of Momodou Taal, a Cornell University student who has participated in pro-Palestinian protests, asking him to turn himself in, Taal's attorneys said in a court filing.
A "notice to appear" sent by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials is among the first steps in the deportation process.
Taal, a doctoral candidate in Africana Studies and dual citizen of the UK and the Gambia, has participated in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack.
President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and accused them of supporting Hamas and being antisemitic.
Taal's attorneys called the development a free speech assault. Taal previously filed a lawsuit to block deportations of protesters. He has said he was doxxed.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say their critics wrongly conflate their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.
"ICE invites Mr Taal and his counsel to appear in-person at the (Homeland Security Investigations Office) in Syracuse at a mutually agreeable time for personal service of the (Notice to Appear) and for Mr Taal to surrender to ICE custody," a U.S. government email said, according to the filing on Friday.
No timeline was mentioned.
ICE had no immediate comment.
Last year, Taal was in a group of activists who disrupted a career fair on campus that featured weapons manufacturers and the university thereafter ordered him to study remotely.
Trump's administration has also attempted to deport other foreigners in its crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices. Human rights advocates have widely condemned the moves.
Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil was arrested this month and is legally challenging his detention.
Trump, without evidence, accused Khalil of supporting Hamas. Khalil denies links to the militant group that Washington considers a "foreign terrorist organization."
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian studying at Georgetown University, was detained this week. Suri's lawyer denies his client supported Hamas. A federal judge barred Suri's deportation.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington)
