<p>Why are some green-card holders and visa students being detained under new US immigration policies?<br></p>

Recent reports have raised alarm about the growing number of green-card holders, visa students, and other foreign nationals facing detention and deportation under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. The latest cases highlight an increase in detentions at airports, immigration checkpoints, and other points of entry, sparking widespread concerns over the scope of US immigration policies.
Several high-profile incidents have surfaced, where individuals with longstanding legal status or ties to the US have found themselves detained or at risk of deportation for reasons that seem to extend beyond criminal issues. The shift towards more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws, particularly targeting politically active foreign nationals or individuals with past legal issues, has sparked a wave of uncertainty about how these policies will affect students, professionals, and families living in the US.
Yunseo Chung, a green-card holder at Columbia University
Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old legal permanent resident from South Korea, is currently facing deportation under the Trump administration’s tougher stance on immigration. Having moved to the U.S. at the age of seven, Chung is enrolled at Columbia University, where she has participated in pro-Palestinian protests. The administration claims that her presence in the U.S. undermines U.S. foreign policy, a rationale similar to the one used in the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. On March 24, Chung filed a lawsuit against the administration. According to The New York Times, while Chung wasn’t a leading figure in the protests at Columbia, she was among those arrested during a protest at Barnard College. ICE officials visited several residences on March 13 and searched Chung’s university housing in connection with a broader criminal investigation into Columbia University, with a warrant referencing the harboring statute. Despite the ongoing efforts to detain her, Chung remains free as of now, and her lawyers are withholding her location.
Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student and green-card holder
Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card holder and former Columbia University graduate student, has also become a focal point in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices. According to reports, Khalil was arrested under claims that his presence in the U.S. was detrimental to foreign policy interests, a move that has raised concerns over politically motivated deportations. Khalil’s case aligns with the administration’s broader crackdown on individuals linked to controversial political movements. His arrest has drawn attention to how the administration is increasingly scrutinizing green-card holders and visa students, especially those engaged in political activism or protest movements.
Momodou Taal, a Cornell University doctoral student
Momodou Taal, a dual citizen of Gambia and the U.K., is facing potential deportation due to his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests at Cornell University. Taal, a student on a visa, has been told by ICE to surrender himself, according to court filings by his lawyer. In 2023, Taal, along with other pro-Palestinian activists, disrupted a career fair at Cornell’s Ithaca campus due to the presence of arms manufacturers. Following the protest, Cornell University barred Taal from attending in-person classes this spring, but did not expel him. Taal’s involvement in the protests made him a likely target for deportation under the Trump administration’s crackdown on politically active students. To preemptively prevent his deportation, Taal and his lawyer filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government.
Targeting of students and scholars
One of the more concerning aspects of these deportation efforts is the targeting of students and scholars, particularly those who may have engaged in political activism. A prominent example is Ranjani Srinivasan, a 37-year-old Fulbright scholar from India. As reported by The New York Times, Srinivasan’s visa was revoked on March 5, 2025, allegedly as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on Columbia University students linked to pro-Palestinian protests. Srinivasan, who had been living in the US on a student visa, had attended rallies calling attention to human rights violations in Gaza.
Srinivasan’s legal troubles escalated when ICE agents attempted to detain her on March 7, 2025. According to her roommate, as reported by The New York Times, the agents initially identified themselves as “police,” but did not provide any badge numbers or show their IDs. The roommate did not let the agents into the apartment, and Srinivasan eventually fled to Canada that evening. This situation highlights the troubling intersection of political dissent and immigration enforcement, with Srinivasan later accused by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of supporting Hamas, a claim that has been widely disputed by her legal team.
Fabian Schmidt’s case: A green-card holder under scrutiny
Another high-profile case involves Fabian Schmidt, a 34-year-old electrical engineer from Germany and a green-card holder living in New Hampshire. As reported by GPH, Schmidt was detained on March 7, 2025, upon returning to the US from a trip to Europe. Schmidt’s mother has alleged that he was subjected to violent interrogation for hours at Logan Airport in Boston, where he was pressured into surrendering his green card. Schmidt reportedly collapsed from the stress of the interrogation and was briefly hospitalized. He was later transferred by ICE to the Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island, where he remains.
Schmidt’s case is complicated by a past misdemeanor charge for marijuana possession in California in 2015, which was later dismissed due to changes in state law. However, the incident was apparently enough to raise questions about Schmidt’s status during his reentry to the US The US government, as reported by GPH, has denied claims of mistreatment, stating that proper action was taken when Schmidt was found with drug-related charges and attempting to reenter the country.
The story of Camila Muñoz and her husband’s ordeal
The targeting of green-card holders and visa students has also affected individuals with families, particularly those who have overstayed their visas. Camila Muñoz, a Peruvian immigrant, was detained by ICE agents at an airport checkpoint on March 7, 2025, as she attempted to fly back to Wisconsin from her honeymoon in Puerto Rico. As reported by USA Today, Muñoz had overstayed her visa in 2020 after COVID-19 travel restrictions delayed her return to the US She and her husband, Bradley Bartell, had applied for her green card, which was in process.
Despite their legal proceedings, Muñoz was detained, separated from her husband, and sent to an ICE facility in Louisiana. Bartell, who had voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election, expressed shock and confusion at the detention, particularly given that Muñoz had been vetted during her visa process. The couple’s case underscores the unpredictable nature of the immigration system under the current administration, where even those who have followed legal procedures may find themselves caught up in enforcement actions.
The case of a Mexican American child with brain cancer
Sometimes, even US citizens can be affected by the harsh immigration policies. In February 2025, a 10-year-old US citizen who had been receiving treatment for brain cancer in Texas was removed from the country along with her undocumented parents. The family, as reported by NBC News, had been traveling from Rio Grande City to Houston for medical treatment when they were detained at an immigration checkpoint.
The parents, who had previously traveled with the necessary medical documentation, were arrested because they could not produce legal immigration papers. The child, who had undergone surgery for brain cancer and was in recovery, was placed at risk when her parents were deported, leaving her medical care in limbo. This case highlights the profound impact that US immigration policies can have on families, particularly when the deportation of parents also affects children who are US citizens.
Jessica Brösche’s detention in a US facility
Another case that drew attention to the policies affecting foreign nationals was that of Jessica Brösche, a 29-year-old tattoo artist from Berlin, Germany. As reported by ABC-10 News, Brösche was detained on January 25, 2025, after attempting to enter the US on foot at the San Ysidro border crossing. Despite having an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) for visa-free travel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials suspected that Brösche intended to work in the US because she was traveling with tattoo equipment.
ICE detained Brösche and transferred her to the Otay Mesa Detention Center in California, where she was held for 46 days before being deported to Germany on March 12, 2025. Brösche described her time in detention as a harrowing experience, spending eight days in solitary confinement. ABC-10 News reported that the company running the detention center, CoreCivic, denied these claims of solitary confinement, stating that Brösche was not held in “restrictive housing.” However, Brösche’s testimony paints a grim picture of the conditions faced by detainees in these facilities.
The lengthy detention raised questions about the fairness of the process and the treatment of individuals held in ICE custody, even when they have legally entered the country under the ESTA program.
Lucas Sielaff’s ordeal at the border
Similarly, Lucas Sielaff, a 25-year-old German tourist, found himself caught up in the immigration crackdown. Sielaff had been visiting his American fiancée, Lennon Tyler, who lives in Las Vegas. As reported by The New York Times, Sielaff was detained on February 14, 2025, at the San Ysidro border crossing after attempting to reenter the US from Tijuana. He had obtained an ESTA for his visit and had been in the US previously without issues.
However, during questioning, Sielaff’s answers were misunderstood due to a language barrier. Officers misinterpreted his response about where he lived and accused him of overstaying his ESTA. As a result, his ESTA was canceled, and he was detained by ICE. According to Tyler, as reported by The New York Times, officers became “very aggressive and hostile” when she tried to inquire about the situation. She was even subjected to a body search by ICE agents while waiting for answers.
Sielaff was transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center, where he was held for 16 days before being deported to Germany on March 6, 2025. Tyler and Sielaff’s family made numerous calls to immigration authorities, hired lawyers, and worked with the German consulate to secure his release. Eventually, he was allowed voluntary deportation, but not before his fiancée had to pay nearly $3,000 for the flight back to Germany.
This case illustrates the complex and often harsh realities that foreign nationals face when caught in the immigration system, even when they have valid visas or ESTA authorizations.
Jasmine Mooney’s detention and unclear reasons for enforcement
Jasmine Mooney, a 35-year-old Canadian entrepreneur, faced a similarly troubling situation in late 2024. Mooney, who had been living in Vancouver, discovered that her US work permit had expired after three years. As reported by The New York Times, she decided to travel to Mexico in November 2024 to attempt to obtain a new permit at the San Ysidro border crossing.
However, upon her attempt to return to the US, Mooney was detained by US immigration authorities and transferred to ICE custody. Despite her clear intent to renew her work visa and the fact that she had not been previously flagged, Mooney found herself in an ICE facility under harsh conditions. She was shackled for up to 24 hours in a row, sleeping on a mat without a blanket, and enduring long periods without adequate food or rest. People magazine reported Mooney’s account of these conditions, describing them as “inhumane” and feeling like a “deeply disturbing psychological experiment.”
Mooney was eventually freed after 12 days, but the reasons for her detention remain unclear. She was never provided with an explanation as to why she was detained in the first place, leading many to question the transparency and fairness of US immigration enforcement under the current administration.
What Do These Cases Reveal About US Immigration Policy?
The cases of individuals like Fabian Schmidt, Ranjani Srinivasan, Camila Muñoz, Jessica Brösche, Lucas Sielaff, and Jasmine Mooney all point to the harsh realities many immigrants are facing under the current administration’s immigration policies. While each case differs in its specifics, they share common themes of uncertainty, confusion, and, in some cases, mistreatment by US authorities.
One of the key issues at the heart of these cases is the lack of clarity regarding what constitutes grounds for detention or deportation. Individuals who have legally entered the US, whether as green-card holders, visa students, or tourists, are often left in the dark about what triggers enforcement actions. Furthermore, many detainees are subjected to long periods of detention in often subpar conditions, with little to no explanation or recourse available.
The recent actions taken by US immigration authorities have sparked criticism both domestically and internationally. Human rights advocates argue that these policies disproportionately target individuals based on their political beliefs, national origins, or past legal troubles rather than any actual criminal activity. As these cases continue to unfold, it remains to be seen how US immigration policy will evolve and whether these harsh enforcement tactics will continue to impact the lives of foreign nationals in the US.