United States President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign university students involved in pro-Palestinian protests as part of a crackdown on alleged anti-Semitism, prompting an outcry from free speech and Muslim advocacy organisations.In an executive order signed on Wednesday, Trump said the federal government would use “all available and appropriate legal tools” to prosecute and remove perpetrators of “unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence”.
“Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault,” Trump’s order said.
A fact sheet on the order released by the White House indicated that the crackdown would extend to “all” student visa holders who participated in “pro-jihadist protests” on university campuses.
“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,” Trump said in the fact sheet. Advertisement
“I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”
It was not immediately clear how broadly authorities might interpret definitions such as “anti-Semitism” and “pro-jihadist”.
Trump’s comments in his fact sheet appeared to suggest more sweeping action than the text of his order, though the latter cited existing law that al …
