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@ Will Jager
2025-03-13 13:42:58On January 29, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a new executive order reinforcing and expanding the measures introduced in his 2019 Executive Order 13899, titled "Combating Anti-Semitism." The original order aimed to address rising anti-Semitic incidents, particularly in educational institutions, by directing federal agencies enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism when evaluating discrimination complaints. This definition includes certain criticisms of Israel as potential examples of anti-Semitism.
While intended to protect Jewish students from harassment based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, it also raised concerns about potential restrictions on free speech, particularly regarding criticism of Israel. The new 2025 order intensifies these efforts, mandating federal agencies to use all available legal tools to prosecute individuals involved in antisemitic harassment and violence. Additionally, it directs educational institutions to monitor and report foreign students and staff activities, further broadening the scope of federal oversight in academic settings that may violate grounds of inadmissibility under U.S. law.
Targeting non-citizen participants, the order mandates the deportation of foreign nationals involved in pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. university campuses, citing concerns over antisemitism. This move has raised significant concerns regarding free speech, as it appears to target students and activists who engaged in pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. university campuses during the Israeli response after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2024. Critics argue that the executive order will suppress constitutionally protected speech and compel universities to monitor student activities.
As a response to President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting antisemitism, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student and U.S. permanent resident, at his Columbia University residence on March 9, 2025. Authorities allege his involvement in activities aligned with Hamas, though he hasn't been charged with any crime. His lawyer, Amy Greer, criticized the detention as politically motivated. This arrest follows the Trump administration's revocation of Khalil's green card and threatens to withdraw $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University over alleged antisemitic harassment on campus.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil stands as a reminder that when the state starts wielding immigration law and funding as a weapon against dissent, no voice is safe. Under the guise of combating antisemitism, this executive order threatens to trample the First Amendment, blurring the line between hate speech and legitimate protest. If criticizing a foreign government's policies can now trigger deportation, then the dance of free speech is over, replaced by a march of silence. And that is a danger we cannot ignore.