Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activists faces federal trial
- A federal bench trial began July 7, 2025, in Boston over a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's campaign targeting faculty and students engaged in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
- The lawsuit arises in response to a policy established following executive orders signed by Trump aimed at addressing hateful ideology and anti-Semitism, which has resulted in visa cancellations and the detention of international academics.
- Plaintiffs allege the administration identified and retaliated against activists, including Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, who was detained for six weeks after co-writing an op-ed critical of her university's Gaza war response.
- The plaintiffs argue the policy suppresses free speech, stating that noncitizen students and faculty have been terrified into silence, avoiding protests, purging social media, and self-censoring in classrooms.
- The trial will assess whether the policy violates the First Amendment, amid government denial of a formal written policy and claims that the First Amendment applies differently in immigration enforcement.
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Trump Deploys Justice Dept. to Ramp Up Attacks on Higher Ed
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Rare trial to begin in challenge to Trump-backed deportations of pro-Palestinian campus activists
Judges have ordered the release of students detained by immigration authorities after they argued the administration retaliated against them for their pro-Palestinian advocacy
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