I fled the US: a foreign, Black, pro-Palestinian activist and the ICE scrutiny

When I arrived in the United States four years ago to pursue a doctorate at Cornell University, I believed the so-called special relationship would grant me a mobility that diplomats might envy. As a British passport holder who had spent years reporting from West Africa’s Sahel, I assumed my status would shield me from the sort of scrutiny many migrants endure. The truth emerged differently after I took part in a pro-Palestine demonstration on campus.

Five minutes into the protest, the moment collided with a job fair featuring Boeing and L3Harris, suppliers of arms to Israel. The disruption became a politically charged moment, and soon I found myself barred from campus. The ban felt like a form of house arrest, because my home was there on the Ithaca campus in upstate New York, and I could not enter the buildings I had once called mine.

What followed wasn’t just a personal grievance; it exposed the draconian reality facing non-citizens in the United States. A British passport once seemed to grant immunity, but in that moment it highlighted the fragility of mobility for those who lack citizenship under today’s enforcement climate. The experience underscored the reality that knowing how to navigate academia and journalism can be as precarious as navigating borders itself.

As a journalist covering global Blackness and contemporary Islam, I have learned that borders often shape the stories we can tell. Yet this episode shows how border policies can intrude into classrooms, influencing who is allowed to learn, work, or protest. I suspect I tick many boxes on what ICE might call a watchlist, but the larger truth is the fear and the chilling effect that enforcement creates for students and activists alike.

Ultimately, this experience is a window into the human cost of immigration policy. It calls on readers to examine how non-citizens are treated in the pursuit of knowledge and dissent, and to advocate for policies that protect voices rather than silence them.

Sources:

1. The Guardian — I had to flee the US, a foreign, Black, pro-Palestinian activist on ICE’s list