Germany orders deportation of pro-Palestine student from the US
- Endangered Scholars Worldwide
- Apr 25
- 3 min read
In March, Cooper Longbottom, a student from the United States, along with three other individuals, received letters from the Berlin Immigration Office, notifying them of impending deportation due to their involvement in the pro- Palestine movement in Berlin, Germany. Longbottom moved to Berlin in 2023 to pursue a Master's degree in Social Work at Alice Salomon University. Berlin has been a hotspot of protest against Israel's offensives in Gaza and students across the country have run protest camps on or near university campuses. The protests have frequently faced heavy-handed responses from police, for which Germany has received international criticism.
Over the past two years, German institutions and authorities have canceled events, exhibitions, and awards in response to statements regarding Palestine or Israel. In April 2024, the University of Cologne rescinded a professorship offer to Nancy Fraser, a professor of philosophy and politics at the New School for Social Research (NSSR), because she signed a letter of solidarity with Palestine. Recently, Omri Boehm, another philosophy professor at NSSR known for criticizing the Israeli government and its actions in Gaza, was disinvited from delivering a keynote speech at the official commemoration marking 80 years since Buchenwald's liberation in Weimar, Germany.
German government officials argue that university protesters supporting Palestine should face deportation, citing the country's historical responsibility and moral obligation toward the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
Each activist faces separate allegations linked to their participation in pro- Palestine actions in Berlin, according to police files. These actions include a mass sit-in at Berlin's central train station, a road blockade, and the occupation of a building at Freie Universität (FU) Berlin in October 2024. The university occupation allegedly involved property damage and an attempt to obstruct a protester's arrest—a so-called "de-arrest." However, none of the activists are specifically accused of said property damage. The deportation orders primarily cite suspicion of their involvement in coordinated group actions.
The activists’ legal team argues that these charges are being used as a pretext to suppress political speech and the right to assemble, particularly regarding the issue of Palestine. "The decisions to deport our clients have no valid legal basis," said Benjamin Dusberg, a member of the five-person legal team representing the activists. "This purely political justification is in no way compatible with the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Not a word is mentioned that our clients protested against the genocide in Gaza and its support through German arms deliveries."
Speaking with The Intercept, lawyer Thomas Oberhäuser, chair of the executive committee on migration law at the German Bar Association, explained that under German migration law, authorities can issue deportation orders without criminal convictions. However, the reasons provided must be proportional to the severity of deportation, taking into account factors such as family separation or economic impact. Oberhäuser added, “If someone is being expelled simply for their political beliefs, that’s a massive overreach.”
All four activists have been ordered to leave Germany by April 21, 2025, or face forcible deportation.
Longbottom faces the most severe consequences, as the deportation order includes a two-year entry ban to all 29 Schengen Zone countries following departure from Germany. Longbottom, who strongly denies any accusations of antisemitism, has only six months left to complete their master's degree. They told The Intercept, "I don’t have anything to start over with. As a trans person, the idea of going back to the U.S. right now feels really scary.”
Germany’s actions against the four activists has drawn significant criticism. On April 17, Humboldt University saw dissidents occupy a lecture hall to protest the deportation of the four activists. They occupied the room for several hours before police, who were called by the university, were able to get into the barricaded room. Over 80 people participated in the protest and are now facing legal actions. The police have begun probing a litany of suspected offenses, including aggravated trespassing, serious breach of the peace and the use of symbols linked to unconstitutional or terrorist organizations.
The recent attacks targeting pro-Palestine students and activists in Germany echo similar developments in the United States, where international students have also faced deportation, in an attempt to stifle their right to protest and academic freedom in the country.
Endangered Scholars Worldwide condemns the actions taken by the government in Germany. Deportation and intimidation of students for expressing their views and engaging in protests is a gross violation of academic freedom. We are deeply concerned by the targeted repression of international students and activists and demand that the government of Germany stop these assaults on their right to freedom of expression and protest.
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