US immigration officials have sent an email to the legal team of Momodou Taal, a Cornell University student who has participated in pro-Palestine protests, asking him to turn himself in, Taal's attorneys said in a court filing.
Taal's attorneys called the development on Friday a free speech assault. Taal previously filed a lawsuit to block deportations of protesters.
He has said he was doxxed.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say their critics wrongly conflate their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with antisemitism.
"ICE invites Mr Taal and his counsel to appear in person at the (Homeland Security Investigations Office) in Syracuse at a mutually agreeable time for personal service of the (Notice to Appear) and for Mr Taal to surrender to ICE custody," a US government email said, according to the filing on Friday.
No timeline was mentioned. ICE had no immediate comment.
A "notice to appear " sent by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials is among the first steps in the deportation process.
Taal, a doctoral candidate in Africana Studies and dual citizen of the UK and the Gambia, has participated in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's genocidal war in besieged Gaza.
TRT Global - The changes include an overhaul to the campus protest policies and a review of the college's Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department, the Center for Palestine Studies and the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.
Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestine students
President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestine protesters and accused them of supporting the resistance group Hamas and claimed they are antisemitic.
Last year, Taal was in a group of activists who disrupted a career fair on campus that featured weapons manufacturers, and the university thereafter ordered him to study remotely.
This is the latest in Trump's efforts to crack down on pro-Palestine voices. Human rights advocates have widely condemned the moves.
On March 8, authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist and a student at Columbia University. Trump hailed his arrest and said it was the "first of many."
Trump, without evidence, accused Khalil of supporting Hamas. Khalil denies links to the resistance group.
A few days after Khalil's arrest, Trump's claim came due after another pro-Palestine student, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian researcher at Georgetown University, was arrested. His attorney said he was arrested because of the Palestinian identity of his wife.
