Trump Pledges Deportation of Foreign Students in Pro-Palestinian Protests
President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests at universities, pledging to deport foreign students involved under the guise of combating antisemitism, Al Jazeera reports.
An executive order signed on Wednesday directs federal agencies to utilize “all available and appropriate legal tools” to prosecute and remove individuals involved in what he described as “unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.”
The order comes amid a backdrop of heated debate over campus protests that erupted last spring during Israel’s war in Gaza. While some Jewish students reported experiencing intimidation and harassment at these demonstrations, pro-Palestinian activists and students have accused universities of using claims of antisemitism to silence criticism of Israel.
According to the executive order, the federal government intends to address what Trump characterized as a “relentless barrage of discrimination” against Jewish students, including the denial of access to campus facilities, intimidation, and physical threats.
A fact sheet released by the White House stated that the crackdown would extend to “all” student visa holders who participated in “pro-jihadist protests” on university campuses.
“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump said in the fact sheet.
He also pledged to “quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”
These comments appeared to suggest a broader scope for action than the executive order itself. While the order references existing immigration law which allows for visa revocations, the broad language used in the fact sheet about deporting “pro-jihadist” protestors has raised concerns. It remains unclear how authorities will define terms like “anti-Semitism” and “pro-jihadist,” leading to worries about potential overreach and misinterpretations.
The executive order directs the secretaries of state, education, and homeland security to educate universities about immigration law pertaining to “inadmissible aliens”. The order mandates that universities report activities that may violate criteria for admissibility, potentially leading to investigations and deportations.
Under US immigration law, foreign nationals can be deemed “inadmissible” even without a criminal conviction. This can include situations where authorities have “reason to believe” a person is engaged in unlawful activities or is “associated with a terrorist organization.”
The move has sparked immediate backlash from civil liberties advocates and Muslim organizations. Free speech organizations expressed concerns that this policy infringes on the right to protest and could have a chilling effect on academic freedom. Muslim groups have argued that the order unfairly conflates criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism and that it will disproportionately target Muslim and Arab students.
