A US federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s efforts to cancel visas and deport noncitizen students over pro-Palestinian advocacy, finding that targeting political speech in this way violates constitutional protections.
US District Judge Noel Wise said the government’s actions conflicted with the First Amendment’s protection of free speech and the Fifth Amendment’s guarantees of due process. The ruling follows the administration’s campaign against foreign students and activists who participated in protests or expressed criticism of Israel.
The case was brought after student journalists said the deportation campaign created a climate of fear and encouraged self-censorship on university campuses. Judge Wise stressed that freedom of expression remains a fundamental principle of American democracy.
The decision represents another significant legal setback for the administration’s immigration crackdown and could affect how authorities handle similar cases involving foreign students and political activism.
The ruling reinforces the principle that immigration powers cannot simply be used to punish noncitizens for protected political expression, potentially placing further limits on the administration’s deportation efforts