A Cornell student, Momodou Taal, who had previously challenged his expulsion from the United States by filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration, has reportedly chosen to leave the country voluntarily.
This decision comes after Taal, a vocal supporter of Hamas, had his visa revoked due to his participation in anti-Israel protests on campus.
"Today I took the decision to leave the United States, free and with my head held high," Taal declared in a post on X, as reported by RedState. He further explained that despite his legal battle against the administration, he decided to leave after his initial motion was denied. "Given what we have seen across the United States, I have lost faith that a favourable ruling from the courts would guarantee my personal safety and ability to express my beliefs," he stated in his farewell note.
Taal's decision to leave the country was a preemptive move, following a lawsuit he had filed against the Trump administration in an attempt to prevent his detention. This was in response to an executive order signed by President Trump on January 29th, reinforcing a 2019 action aimed at combating anti-Semitism in educational institutions.
President Trump, in a March post on Truth Social, warned of the presence of more students across the country who engage in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, and anti-American activities. "We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country never to return again," he pledged.
In line with this, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced his success in detaining pro-Hamas agitators, revealing that over 300 foreign students have had their visas revoked. "Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa," Rubio stated, expressing his hope to eventually exhaust this number, indicating the removal of all such individuals.
Taal's public profile rose following his display of support for Hamas after the horrific terror attacks against Israel on October 7th. He posted on X, "Colonised peoples have the right to resist by any means necessary. Glory to the resistance!" These attacks resulted in the death of over 1,100 individuals.
In his parting message, Taal criticized the current administration for its alleged lack of respect for the judiciary, despite the fact that it was the judiciary that denied his motion. "This is of course not the outcome I had wanted going into this, but we are facing a government that has no respect for the judiciary or for the rule of the law," he stated.
His farewell note was captioned, "Long live the student intifada!" Now, this sentiment will have to find a home in another country, as Taal has chosen to leave the United States on his own terms.
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