Trump Administration to Revoke Student Visas of Pro-Palestinian Protesters

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday aimed at combating antisemitism, vowing to deport non-citizen college students and others who participated in pro-Palestinian protests. The order, outlined in a White House fact sheet, pledges “immediate action” by the Justice Department to prosecute “terroristic threats, arson, vandalism, and violence against American Jews.” It also seeks to mobilize federal resources to address what it describes as “the explosion of antisemitism on our campuses and streets” following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

In the fact sheet, Trump issued a stark warning: “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.” He also reiterated a 2024 campaign promise, stating, “I will quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”

The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and legal experts, who argue that the measure violates constitutional free speech protections and is likely to face legal challenges.

“The First Amendment protects everyone in the United States, including foreign citizens studying at American universities,” said Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. “Deporting non-citizens on the basis of their political speech would be unconstitutional.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent Muslim advocacy organization, announced it would consider legal action to challenge the order if Trump attempts to implement it.

The Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza have sparked months of pro-Palestinian protests across U.S. college campuses. Civil rights groups have reported a significant rise in hate crimes and incidents targeting Jews, Muslims, Arabs, and other individuals of Middle Eastern descent during this period.

The executive order mandates that agency and department leaders submit recommendations to the White House within 60 days on leveraging criminal and civil authorities to combat antisemitism. It also calls for a comprehensive review of court cases involving K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, particularly those related to alleged civil rights violations tied to pro-Palestinian protests. This review could lead to actions to remove “alien students and staff” deemed to have violated these provisions.

Many pro-Palestinian protesters have denied supporting Hamas or engaging in antisemitic acts, emphasizing that their demonstrations were aimed at opposing Israel’s military actions in Gaza, where health authorities report over 47,000 deaths.

Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, a nonpartisan civil rights group, expressed deep concern over the order’s apparent conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Berry warned that the measure could have a chilling effect on free speech nationwide.

The executive order marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to address antisemitism and its response to the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, its implementation is expected to face significant legal and constitutional hurdles.