Post by : Rameen Ariff

A US federal judge has strongly criticized the Trump administration for arresting and trying to deport international students who supported pro-Palestinian protests during the ongoing war in Gaza. The judge called the actions an illegal suppression of free speech and a violation of constitutional rights.

In a ruling delivered in Boston, District Judge William Young, appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, described the crackdown by the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department as “truly scandalous and unconstitutional suppression of free speech.”

The judge said the administration deliberately targeted non-citizen students backing Palestinians, with the aim of silencing student protests and intimidating others who shared similar views. He confirmed that he would decide later on what legal remedy to impose against these actions.

The policy began in March, when US immigration authorities arrested several international students who had protested against Israel’s actions in Gaza. Many detainees were held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, far from their homes, without being charged with any crime. Some remained in detention for weeks.

The Trump administration defended the arrests as part of a fight against antisemitism, claiming—without evidence—that students involved in protests supported violence or the Palestinian group Hamas. Officials also argued that foreign students did not have the same First Amendment rights as US citizens.

Judge Young rejected this argument, ruling that “the First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction.”

Among the most high-profile cases was Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University, arrested in March after writing an op-ed critical of the school’s handling of the war. She spent more than six weeks in an ICE detention center before being released by court order. Another case involved Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student and legal US resident, who was arrested and held for several months after leading pro-Palestinian campus protests.

The judge revealed that officials relied on lists provided by pro-Israel organizations to identify which students to arrest.

This ruling highlights the growing debate over free speech, student protests, immigration rights, and the Gaza war, raising questions about how the US government treats international students during political conflicts.

#world news #Global News #Donald Trump