President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that his administration would cut off federal funding to colleges that "allow illegal protests," in addition to threatening arrest, expulsion and deportation for student participants. While he did not divulge many more specifics in his post, it's clear from past statements that he's referring to pro-Palestine activism that has surged in wake of Israel's destructive invasion of Gaza.
"Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter," he wrote on Tuesday.
While the protests last year were already met with police crackdowns and punishment meted out by university administrators, the Trump administration's policies would represent an unprecedented escalation. Self-described Zionist groups like Betar have already offered to help the government compile lists of students to punish for "antisemitic behavior," heightening concerns that the Trump administration is leading a draconian campaign to suppress free speech while abetting Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
Trump's allies and other pro-Israel voices have claimed that these measures are necessary to fight hate against Jews.
"Antisemitism and anti-Israel hate will not be tolerated on American campuses. Promises made, promises kept," tweeted Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump's pick for UN ambassador and a staunch Israel ally who has said that the country has a "biblical right" to annex the Palestinian West Bank.
Using the antisemitism label to describe protests against war crimes and crimes against humanity, or attending a vigil for a five-year-old girl shot by Israeli forces — a gathering Betar has claimed is a hotbed of hateful agitation — is just a convenient way for Israel allies to erase political opposition, activists have said. Many civil rights lawyers agree that pro-Palestine activism is indeed protected speech and that the Trump administration's proposed crackdown violates the First Amendment.
Withdrawing federal funding "is unlawful — the government cannot condition receipt of federal funds on universities silencing protected speech," Jenin Younes, a civil liberties attorney, posted on X. "Criticizing a foreign nation is protected speech. Thanks for making it so obvious, Elise Stefanik. This makes the lawsuits MUCH easier to win."
It's unclear when or how Trump will implement such a policy to full effect, or what he defines as "illegal" or a punishable offense, though the ferocious police response to initially peaceful protests — and their reluctance to deal with violence by pro-Israel counterprotesters — might shed some light. But even this ambivalence could deter protest activity or indeed any politically disfavored speech.
"Peaceful protests, of course, are not 'illegal.' A government ban on peaceful protests would violate the First Amendment," wrote former U.S. Attorney Barb McQuade. "The goal here seems to be intimidation and fear to chill free speech."
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