OPINION: University pulled his student visa after this United Kingdom student helped lead the cancelation of a job fair
When Momodou Taal disrupted a job fair at Cornell University, little did he know that the same company he protested, Boeing, may play a role in his last day in America.
The United States granted a student visa to Momodou Taal so he could come to Cornell and study “race and capitalism” and “Pan Africanism” according to his X bio.
But now it appears our country will have one less grievance studies scholar after Taal lost his visa status following the disruption. Taal has been placed on “temporary suspension,” according to a petition. But that warrants a loss of visa.
“This is a deliberate targeting of a Black Muslim student at an institution where those two identities are increasingly unwelcome,” Taal wrote on X Thursday morning, following a failed appeal of the sanctions. “When it comes to Palestine the university will abandon all commitments to academic freedom and free speech to protect its corporate interests.”
He previously shared an email from an immigration advisor at Cornell advising him of the consequences of losing his visa.
Since he has been suspended, his “F-1 record” must be closed, a university administrator told Taal.
The university is subverting their own processes. They will claim it’s not a deportation but effectively it is. pic.twitter.com/rigsWHlygO
— Momodou ✊🏿 (@MomodouTaal) September 24, 2024
This is actually Taal’s second suspension for alleged misconduct.
“The original charges were never proven, and the case is still pending because the university’s administration is, once again, refusing to follow due process and their own administrative guidelines, which would require a formal complaint and investigation in a timely manner as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct Procedures,” the petition states.
Taal, and others, were “charged with unauthorized use of University property by engaging in or facilitating outdoor camping on the Arts Quad without approval” and “failure to comply with University directives to remove the unauthorized encampment.”
The university also accused them of “unreasonably loud chants and behavior” and “failure to disperse from the Arts Quad and staying past 8 p.m. on April 25,” according to The Cornell Daily Sun.
Taal claims this is an attack on his free speech rights. But disrupting an event on a private university and depriving other students of the ability to talk to recruiters is not a protected activity.
Just something for Taal to think about on his flight home on the Boeing 787.
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IMAGE: Momodou Taal/X
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