BOSTON—A trial over President Donald Trump’s attempts to deport pro-Palestinian activists began on July 7 with attorneys debating whether the administration was chilling free speech by attempting to punish dissenting views.
Academic associations had sued, alleging that Trump had violated the First Amendment and due process through a policy of deporting individuals based on their ideology.
Ramay Krishnan, an attorney for the academic groups, compared Trump’s agenda to the McCarthy era and described a “cloud of fear” coming over university communities.
The somewhat unusual civil trial came after weeks of controversy over immigration authorities arresting individuals like Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist who led campus protests in the wake of Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Khalil is a permanent U.S. resident….