Judge deals blow to Trump moves to deport pro-Palestinian activists
A U.S. federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's use of immigration laws to deport non-citizen students for pro-Palestinian advocacy is unconstitutional. The judge argued that such actions suppress free speech and diminish the strength of American democracy.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a significant legal precedent regarding the limits of executive power in using immigration status to retaliate against political speech on university campuses.
Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil attends a pro-Palestinian protest outside Columbia University, on the two-year anniversary of the deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from Gaza, in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., October 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ryan Murphy — Ryan Murphy By Nate Raymond
Aug 28 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday ruled that laws that President Donald Trump's administration used to cancel visas and initiate deportation proceedings against noncitizen college students based on their pro-Palestinian advocacy and criticism of Israel are unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Noel Wise in San Jose, California in a blistering ruling chastised the U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Homeland Security for how they had deployed provisions of federal immigration law to target non-citizens for deportation for expressing views they wanted to suppress.
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