A Cornell University student facing deportation after his visa was revoked because of his campus activism said he decided to leave the United States.
Momodou Taal, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Gambia, had asked a federal court to halt his detention. But he posted on X late Monday that he didn’t believe a legal ruling in his favor would guarantee his safety or ability to speak out.
“I have lost faith I could walk the streets without being abducted,” Momodou Taal wrote from an unknown location. “Weighing up these options, I took the decision to leave on my own terms.”
Honestly, that’s the smart thing to do. Staying risks being sent to the El Salvador megaprison.
Which, it should be noted, incidentally is exactly why they’re sending random people to said prison without due process in the first place.
Its amazing they didn’t swoop in and arrest them at they were trying to board the plane.
Per the article, he’s been taking classes remotely since the fall? Was trying to figure out if he’d arrived safely, but I’m not clear if he’s giving up on being able to return safely, or stay here safely.
UK here. Proud of our UK, Gambian citizen that he understands what’s at stake for him personally. There’s no point in being abducted and disappeared without trace, get the hell out of there if you’re at risk as many of the persecuted did when Hitler was doing the same in Germany.
The brain drain’s already begun. The “soul drain” is probably (and should be) next. Staying is investing in the country. You will pay with your taxes and more and more freedoms in exchange for the chance to die working.
It’s not easy for just anyone to emigrate. I would have left the US years ago if it was.
Yeah, immigration laws in other countries are very difficult. The US’s immigration policies are vastly easier, even with the politics and bureaucratic hurdles, quotas and lotteries, because there are at least legal pathways for people without tens of millions of dollars. If I wanted to become a citizen in any other first world country it basically can’t be done. I could get a permanent visa in some of those countries because of my education and profession - but never citizenship.
Now some of those countries may be opening up their citizenship process to take advantage of the brain drain. The US is going to lose so much more than just money. It’s truly heart breaking.
You still pay some tax to the US when you work abroad
Only if you plan on ever coming back
Probably for the best, unfortunately…
Shameful. I have kids that I wouldn’t feel safe sending to these institutions even though they are American citizens.
Did Cornell work with Trump on this?
Unis confirmed/likely working with ICE:
- Columbia University - (I heard is run by a banker, instead of an academic and is chasing easy $$): betrayed their students (more than one)
- New College of Florida - fired a Professor over skin color/race (wouldn’t ever consider Florida anyway). Per commenter below, it was the proving ground with Chris Rufo
- Yale - 3 Professors fled Yale Interview with one of them
Unis that claimed didn’t work with ICE:
- Minnesota State University-Mankato - Student disappeared, uni says they didn’t give ICE any info, unrelated to protests, no reason given
- Tufts University - claimed didn’t work with ICE, student disappeared by ICE
Maybe different reason?
- Indiana University - Admin has been taken over by MAGA, they disappeared a cybersecurity professor
- UIUC - Had multiple students charged with mob action before the election. Possible theory: maybe political pressure by alumni, Isreal, or democratic party (see below comment for more)
Wonder what other institutions of higher thinking/learning will be next to capitulate…
Don’t forget the Tufts student, according to them they did not cooperate
Thank you! Added. Crazy… I remember now reading about that one too. sigh
A student got disappeared in Mankato too
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-state-university-mankato-student-detained-by-ice/
Ty! Added!
I think the cyber security prof might be different.
Yeah, that one stunk of him being a literal spy. Hard to tell from the lack of information from our few remaining journalistic news sources though.
ah true, that’s a possibility
i doubt they are going to touch yale/harvard/standford any time , because those are usually the pipeline for students to >politicians via prestigious MD and Law schools, or business programs. even the MDs from these colleges tend to be elistist asf with respect to employment.
it’s beyond demoralizing and unsettling to stay in a country that perceives you as a ‘national threat’
imagine someone comes over to your place and starts protesting and saying how bad you are :DDDD kicking them out seems like a sensible thing to do, no? Go back to Gambia/UK and protest there right? anyone? Come on, people now, people now, people now, come on, people now
Hearing new voices with perspectives shaped by new places and ideas strengthens us. That is the underlying principle of freedom of speech and freedom of the press in liberal democracies.
You argue for weakness: weakness of mind, weakness of spirit, and weakness of morals.
computer says no
you’re a dumbass
You’re a carbon processing unit
You speak like a LLM
You’re a cunt
Don’t call them that. Cunts can be useful.
Ah, proper American values on display. Total obedience to the power, never raising a voice about anything, always staying in line, never having opinion different from what the Glorious Leader says.
And I’m actually not joking, based on the actions, it is as closest you can have to the proper American values.Lol got the attention you were seeking?
Are you having a stroke?
You are probably just trolling, but your point is not entirely wrong. If you have been advertising your house as the land of the free, and specifically compare your house to other houses that aren’t free, it changes the picture a bit. Then add on that you let anyone from your neighborhood trash talk your house, but anyone from outside the neighborhood that you invite in you don’t. That would be pretty unreasonable.
But let’s get it a bit closer to what is happening. You actually post rules at the door of the house. They say not only are you allowed to trash talk the house, but there is an appointed 3rd party who’s job it is to decide if you broke the rules before any punitive action is taken. But then once inside you ignore your own rules and the appointed 3rd party’s rulling.
And one more step to get closer to the real case. The person wasn’t even trash talking your house. They were actually trash talking a different house on the other side of the neighborhood. One they actually lived closer to than you. And one that nearly the whole neighborhood says is in the wrong.
Now you are closer to what is happening.
And I know a serious answer probably wasn’t needed here, but on the off chance, I wanted to support serious discussion on opposing opinions.
Imagine having a place that not only allows freedom of speech, but PRIDES itself on freedom of speech, then denying and prosecuting speech they don’t like.
