Why I had to flee America | Momodou Taal

This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we speak to Momodou Taal, a Cornell Unveristy scholar forced to flee from US immigration officers.

The crackdown by the Trump administration on pro-Palestine activists has continued to intensify despite legal challenges.

Undercover agents belonging to the department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE for short, have been filmed arresting university students on campuses, in their homes and even in the middle of the street.

Some of those targeted as part of this nationwide sweep have attempted to appeal to the justice system - in Cornell university a group of academics and students launched a legal case against the Trump Administration.

At its centre is the case of Mamodou Taal, a British-Gambian PHD student whose home was then raided by ICE agents in an attempt to arrest him.

After failing to get a judge to hear their case, Taal decided instead to leave the United States before he faces the same fate as Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.

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