A U.S. federal court ordered immigration authorities to stop the arrest and deportation attempts against 21-year-old Korean Columbia University student Jeong Mo.
According to reports from New York Times (NYT) and others on the 25th (local time), Southern District Court Judge Naomi Buchwald stated, "There is no evidence that Jeong poses a threat to the community or creates 'diplomatic risks' and that he has contacts with terrorist organizations," and noted, "Efforts to arrest and deport Jeong must cease until the court makes a separate decision."
Jeong, a U.S. permanent resident, became the target of immigration authorities for participating in pro-Palestine protests. He was arrested once during a protest on the 5th and was later released. It is reported that Jeong and other students protested in support of the three students expelled for the same reason.
Subsequently, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began tracking Jeong. On the 13th, ICE agents searched Jeong's dormitory, and he filed a lawsuit through his attorney on the 24th to prevent the immigration authorities from deporting him.
Jeong immigrated to the U.S. with his parents at the age of 7. He graduated as the top student in high school and enrolled in the prestigious Ivy League Columbia University. In the petition, Jeong stated, "I am a 21-year-old U.S. permanent resident, and since coming to the U.S. with my family at the age of 7, the U.S. has been my only hometown and I am a promising junior at Columbia University."