Pro-Palestinian activists hold signs and wave flags as they participate in a "Fight for our Rights" rally in support of Mahmoud Khalil in New York, March 15. Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent faces of Columbia University's protest movement that erupted in response to Israel's conduct of the war, was arrested, March 9, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on X. AFP-Yonhap

A federal judge ruled Tuesday a Columbia University student from South Korea cannot be detained for now, the Associated Press reported, as she is trying to head off the attempt by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to deport her after her participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

In a Manhattan court, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald issued the ruling, saying the U.S. government had not offered sufficient evidence to back its claims against the 21-year student, surnamed Chung, a legal permanent resident who came to the United States as a child.

On Monday, Chung filed a lawsuit against the government after immigration officials tried to arrest and deport her.

The U.S. authorities have argued that her presence in the U.S. hinders the administration's foreign policy agenda of halting the spread of antisemitism, according to the New York Times. (Yonhap)