Defending a Columbia Student’s Right to Free Speech
Columbia University student Yunseo Chung came to this country with her family at the age of seven. Even though she is a lawful permanent resident of the United States, the Trump administration recently tried to arrest and deport her simply because she attended protests against the war in Gaza — a chilling tactic being used to retaliate against many noncitizen students that violates the First Amendment.
Human Rights First and co-counsel CLEAR, ECBAWM, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights San Francisco sued to protect Yunseo from the government’s attack on her right to express political views disfavored by the administration.
Our Special Counsel Joshua Colangelo-Bryan explains the stakes of this case in the Boston Globe, The Intercept (March 2025 and May 2025), and NBC News.
On March 25, we secured a temporary restraining order that will keep the government from arresting or deporting Yunseo in the immediate future.
On April 29, we filed two briefs challenging recent government submissions that seek to dismiss our case entirely on the basis that the court lacks authority to hear claims arising out of the violations of Ms. Chung’s constitutional rights.
On June 5, we secured a preliminary injunction from the Court barring the administration from arresting and detaining our client, Yunseo Chung, while the case is pending.
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Tell Congress to stop funding the targeting and deportation of non-citizens who are simply exercising their First Amendment rights.