Former U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign students involved in anti-Israel protests, particularly on college campuses.
His stance follows his earlier move to revoke student visas of individuals expressing support for Hamas, after signing an executive order aimed at combating anti-Semitism.
In January, Trump signed an order titled “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism,” which some legal experts and advocacy groups have criticized as potentially unconstitutional.
During his campaign, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to enforcing the policy, referencing the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.
“I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathisers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before,” he stated.
However, legal scholars and civil rights organizations argue that the measure infringes on free speech protections under the U.S. Constitution.
“The First Amendment protects everyone in the United States, including foreign citizens studying at American universities. Deporting non-citizens based on their political speech would be unconstitutional,” said Carrie DeCell, a senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Muslim advocacy group, has indicated that it may challenge the policy in court if implemented.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has sparked months of pro-Palestinian demonstrations across U.S. college campuses, drawing intense debate over free speech and international student rights.