Columbia Student Yunseo Chung Due Back in Court on June 5th as Government Continues Push for Detention 

NEW YORK, NY — Yesterday, May 29, 2025, attorneys for Columbia University student Yunseo Chung appeared in court to seek continued protection against arrest and deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that such actions would violate her Constitutional rights to free speech and due process.  

 Judge Naomi Buchwald pressed the government on their insistence that detaining Ms. Chung was necessary, noting the traumatic and unnecessary harm it would cause. Both parties will be back in court next week on Thursday, June 5th at 1:45 pm. Until then, the protective order barring ICE from arresting Ms. Chung remains in effect.  

 Ms. Chung’s attorneys believe that the government’s demand for detention has nothing to do with legal necessity—it’s about arresting and transferring Ms. Chung to a detention center far away from her family and legal counsel. There is no justification for Ms. Chung—a lawful permanent resident with no criminal record and a strong academic standing—to be held in ICE detention. We will continue to advocate for her in court next week.

Media Contacts:  

CLEAR: [email protected] 

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP: Redmond Haskins, [email protected], c: 929-441-2384  

Human Rights First: [email protected] 

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the SF Bay Area: Raya Steier, [email protected], c:530-723-2426