Bill of Rights

“There has been no evidence that has been introduced by the government other than the op-ed,” U.S. District Judge William Sessions III said, referring to Öztürk’s article urging divestment from Israel. By Brett Wilkins | – ( Common Dreams ) – Rümeysa Öztürk, one of several pro-Palestine scholars kidnapped and imprisoned by the Trump administration […]

Bill of Rights

Antisemitism Awareness Act – Protecting Jews from What?

H. Scott Prosterman

Last year, Congress proposed the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) (S.558 and H.R. 1007) to combat anti-Semitism, but Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sen. Tommy Tuberville and other Republican officials object to the bill because it infringes on the right of far-right Christians to express that Jews are to blame for the death of Jesus? Excuse me, […]

Bill of Rights

From the Chinese Exclusion Act to pro-Palestinian Activists: The Evolution of politically motivated Deportations

The Conversation

By Rick Baldoz, Brown University (The Conversation) – The recent deportation orders targeting foreign students in the U.S. have prompted a heated debate about the legality of these actions. The Trump administration made no secret that many individuals were facing removal because of their pro-Palestinian advocacy. In recent months, the State Department has revoked hundreds […]

Bill of Rights

“I Am Not Afraid of You,” Freed Mohsen Mahdawi Tells Donald Trump

Common Dreams

The court’s order for the release of the detained student protest leader, said one lawyer, “is a victory for all people in this country invested in their ability to dissent and speak and protest.” By Jessica Corbett Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student targeted for deportation by the Trump administration because he participated in anti-genocide […]

Bill of Rights

If Permanent Resident Mahmoud Khalil can be Deported for Political Speech, the 1st Amendment is at Risk for All

The Conversation

By Erin Corcoran, University of Notre Dame The Trump administration has revoked the visas of more than 1,000 foreign university students since January 2025. Many of the individual cases that have made headlines center on foreign-born university students who participated in Palestinian rights protests. In early March, the federal government arrested, detained and began deportation […]

Bill of Rights

Deporting Dissent: The dangerous Precedent set by the Persecution of pro-Palestine Activists

Middle East Monitor

( Middle East Monitor ) – “Rights are granted to those who align with power,” Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student, eloquently wrote from his cell. This poignant statement came soon after a judge ruled that the government had met the legal threshold to deport the young activist on the nebulous ground of “foreign […]

Bill of Rights

‘Immoral, Inhumane, and Illegal’: ICE Arrests Palestinian Columbia Protest Leader at urging of Far Right Zionist Betar Org.

Common Dreams

“He came to this country hoping to be free to speak out about the atrocities he has witnessed, only to be punished for such speech,” said Mohsen Mahdawi’s lawyer. ( Common Dreams ) – A month after the international far-right pro-Israel group Betar named Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi as the next target in its […]

Bill of Rights

Condemnation of Trump targeting noncitizen Students, Researchers for Constitutionally protected Speech

Middle East Studies Association

Middle East Studies Association MESA Board Joint Statement with the TFCHR regarding deportations The MESA Board of Directors and the MESA Task Force on Civil and Human Rights condemn in the strongest terms the Trump administration’s targeting of noncitizen students and researchers for their constitutionally protected speech and advocacy. As part of an expansive […]

Bill of Rights

We are All Mahmoud Khalil

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The arrest of legal permanent U.S. resident Mahmoud Khalil, 29, by Department of Homeland Security agents for thought crimes is a shot across the bow of the American Constitution. All Fascist governments despise free speech, and the Trumpist regime is no exception. Khalil is only a test case. The Trumpists […]