Documents Prove Trump Administration Arrested Students for Criticizing Israel
9 days ago
- #Student Activism
- #Free Speech
- #Government Surveillance
- Federal documents reveal government efforts to target and deport students for pro-Palestine speech using social media and Canary Mission.
- Judge William G. Young criticized the Trump administration's actions as unconstitutional intimidation of students.
- Canary Mission, an anonymous blacklist, played a central role in providing names of pro-Palestine students to federal agencies.
- Students like Rümeysa Öztürk were arrested based on participation in campus op-eds and unverified online profiles.
- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) relied on publicly available information, including Canary Mission, to assess visa eligibility.
- ICE official Peter Hatch testified that his team compiled over 100 reports from a list of 5,000 names sourced from Canary Mission.
- Advocates warn about the dangers of privately-funded hate groups like Canary Mission influencing government deportation actions.
- Judge Young's order condemned targeted deportations as chilling free speech protections under the First Amendment.
- The State Department defended its actions, stating visas are a privilege and not a right for those deemed security threats.
- Recent court rulings have reignited efforts to deport Mahmoud Khalil, with DHS vowing to remove 'terrorist sympathizers.'