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STUDENT FACES DEPORTATION AFTER SUSPENSION FOR PRO-PALESTINE PROTEST
 
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Matt Dougherty
September 24, 2024
Ithaca Times
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_ The suspended student, a PhD candidate, is facing the possible
revocation of his visa as a visiting foreign student. If his visa is
revoked, he will likely be deported by the end of the week. _

Roughly 100 students organized with the Coalition for Mutual
Liberation shut down a career fair at the Statler Hotel that was
attended by defense contractors Boeing and L3Harris., Matt Dougherty

 

Cornell University has become the first university to suspend a
student for pro-Palestinian organizing this semester, putting them at
risk of deportation. The suspension was in response to a student-led
protest
[[link removed]] organized
by the Coalition for Mutual Liberation (CML), which shut down a career
fair at the Statler Hotel attended by defense contractors Boeing and
L3 Harris.

The protest, according to the CML, was part of a broader effort to
oppose Cornell’s complicity in military and defense industries that
profit from violence in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

The suspended student is PhD candidate Momodou Taal, who has been a
prominent advocate for Palestinian liberation during his time at
Cornell. Taal is an international student from Britain who is
attending Cornell on an F1 student visa. He is now facing the possible
revocation of his visa as a result of his participation in the
protest. If his visa is revoked, he will likely be deported by the end
of the week.

According to a CML statement, “Taal was notified by Cornell
University Police that his suspension was effective immediately,
jeopardizing his visa status and potentially leading to deportation by
the end of the week.”

Taal described his suspension as a violation of his rights. “There
is a targeted campaign of intimidation and harassment against me from
Cornell’s administration and police,” Taal said in a statement
posted on X (formerly Twitter)
[[link removed]]. “I had
no chance to dispute the charges nor see the evidence or appeal. They
informed me that I am effectively being deported by the weekend.”

Taal continued
[[link removed]], “The
repression we are facing for protesting a genocide is unreal.” He
added, “Every day we witness the horrors that Israel inflicts on
people. And those of us who still have our humanity…are facing so
much repression.”

Taal’s suspension has ignited a backlash among students, who argue
that Cornell is using repressive tactics to undermine pro-Palestinian
organizing on campus. 

Nick Wilson [[link removed]],
a student suspended last semester for pro-Palestinian organizing,
voiced his opposition to the university’s actions. “Cornell just
became the first university of the fall semester to suspend a student
for pro-Palestine organizing. They’re intentionally targeting an
international student [and] one of the most visible advocates for
divestment on our campus—the Cornell community won’t tolerate
this,” Wilson said.

In a statement released following the announcement of Taal’s
suspension, the CML accused Cornell of “caving to external pressure
from powerful donors” and violating Taal’s rights as a student and
employee. The coalition has also demanded that Cornell Graduate
Students United, the union representing graduate workers, be allowed
to bargain over Taal’s status in accordance with a July 2024
Memorandum of Agreement.

According to a joint statement released by Cornell’s chapter of
Students for Justice in Palestine and Young Democratic Socialists of
America, “This suspension violates Cornell's new three-strike policy
and is a denial of basic due process…Cornell must respond to the
Graduate Student Union's request to bargain or they will be in
violation of labor law.”

A petition
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that Cornell reinstate Taal to prevent his deportation further
explained how Cornell is violating the agreement signed with CGSU,
“This  past July, Cornell agreed that they would bargain with the
union over the effects of any discipline to a member…Cornell must
bargain with the union before any of the negative effects of
discipline can actually take place, yet Cornell has already inflicted
multiple major changes on Momodou, in addition to effectively
threatening to have him deported.”

The petition
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explained how Cornell is violating its own due process and
administrative procedures. It said that Taal’s suspension violates
code of conduct policies, which only allow suspensions in cases of
immediate danger to an individual or the community. The code of
conduct also requires that suspension be used only when less
restrictive measures are insufficient, and must be proportional to the
threat posed. According to the petition, the lack of an imminent
threat and the disproportionate consequence of deportation suggest the
suspension was unwarranted.

“Given these requirements, the suspension of Momodou is a wildly
disproportionate response to any alleged violation of the student
code,” the petition stated. “The threat of immediate deportation
is completely incompatible with notions of proportionality and
constraint, as well as Cornell’s own policies.”

The petition continued saying, “It is clear that this is yet another
way to suppress protest…[These excessive punitive measures represent
an escalating repression of academic freedom and freedom of
expression.”

Cornell Interim President Michael Kotlikoff defended the
university’s actions, citing
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protest's disruptive nature. According to Kotlikoff, demonstrators
forcibly entered the Statler Hotel, pushing aside Cornell Police
officers, banging cymbals and pots, and using bullhorns to disrupt the
event.

“These intimidating tactics have no place in a university and
violate our commitments to each other,” Kotlikoff said. “Actions
have consequences, on campus and in the criminal justice system.” He
continued, “Individuals who entered the Statler and disrupted the
career fair face immediate suspension or employment sanctions up to
and including dismissal.”

Kotlikoff explained that the demonstrators disrupted the career fair
and caused noise that frightened students, staff, and recruiters. He
also said that any protesters who engaged in criminal activity would
be referred to the Tompkins County District Attorney.

In response to Kotlikoff’s statement, Assistant Professor of Labor
and Employment Law at Cornell’s School of International Labor
Relations (ILR) Gali Racabi posted on X (formerly Twitter)
[[link removed]], “Immediate
suspension/police referrals should only be utilized in cases of
imminent harm to people, not as a punishment for disrupting events.”
He added, “Unlike the Middle East, Cornell is not a war zone. The
stakes are low and education-oriented; the response should track the
stakes.”

In response to requests to comment about if Cornell thinks putting a
graduate student at risk of deportation is a proportionate response to
being involved in a protest, Vice President for University Relations
at Cornell University, Joel M. Malina said, “International students
attending college in the U.S. on F-1 visas are obligated to comply
with federal requirements to maintain their visa status.” 

Malina continued saying that these federal regulations require
universities to terminate the F-1 status for any student who is not
permitted to be enrolled due to a disciplinary action. He added,
“Universities can disallow enrollment and bar a student from campus,
but do not have deportation powers.”

According to Malina, “Any international student administratively
withdrawn by Cornell pursuant to the Student Code of Conduct is urged
to immediately review immigration guidelines and consult with
experts.” However, Cornell has not responded to questions regarding
allegations that disciplinary action was taken against Taal in
violation of code of conduct policies and an agreement with the CGSU,
which Taal is a member of.

Supervising Attorney for New York’s chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), Lamya Agarwala has released
a statement
[[link removed]] condemning
Cornell for suspending an international student and putting them at
risk of deportation.

“CAIR-NY is deeply concerned about the unjust treatment of Momodou
Taal, a dedicated international graduate student who now faces
potentially life-changing immigration consequences because of his
activism in support of Palestinian human rights and against Israel’s
genocide in Gaza,” Agarwala said. “Cornell University's decision
to suspend Mr. Taal and effectively revoke his immigration status
threatens Taal's academic career and livelihood in the United
States.”

Agarwala continued saying, “The university’s decision also sends a
chilling message to all international students who wish to engage in
peaceful advocacy: speaking out against war crimes and honoring our
nation’s tradition of dissent can cost you your education and life
here in the United States.” She added, “We stand with Mr. Taal and
call for the immediate reversal of this suspension."

Despite the university’s threats, the Coalition for Mutual
Liberation is committed to continuing its organizing efforts. CML has
organized a rally this Wednesday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. outside Day
Hall, which houses the offices of the university president and
disciplinary staff.

_Matt Dopughertyu is the Managing Editor of the Ithaca Times. He
previously wrote for The Legislative Gazette and The River Newsroom.
He has also operated an independent media blog called The Bull-Moose
Note since 2020._

* pro-Palestine protests
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* Cornell University
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* suspension
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* Deportation
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