Federal Court: Trump’s Dismissal of Pro-Palestine Activists Illegal
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency and maan, William Young, a senior judge at Boston’s district court appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, ruled that several academic organizations’ lawsuit alleging Trump’s policy of expelling pro-Palestinian activists constituted “ideological expulsion” is unconstitutional. The judge found this action violated the First Amendment’s protection of free speech.
Judge Young stated that officials from the State Department and Homeland Security ”acted in concert and abused their broad authority to target and deport non-U.S. pro-Palestinian activists due to their political speech. They also did so to instill fear in other non-U.S. pro-Palestinian activists; suppress lawful pro-Palestinian speech; and deliberately deny these individuals their freedom of expression.”
The judge has only released his assessment of the government’s actions so far, with decisions on further measures forthcoming. The plaintiffs’ attorneys have requested an injunction against any future threats or executions of arrests and expulsions by the government.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers presented evidence indicating that the Trump management launched a coordinated campaign targeting students and researchers who criticized the Israeli regime or expressed solidarity with Palestinians.
