Lawsuit over deportations of foreigners with pro-Palestinian views can proceed, judge rules

Source: Politico

04/29/2025 02:46 PM EDT


A broad lawsuit alleging the Trump administration is deporting people for holding pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel views can move forward to trial, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, said academic groups who challenged the practice made a plausible case that their members are being targeted for their advocacy related to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, rather than for endorsing violence or supporting terrorist groups.

“Although case law defining the scope of noncitizens’ First Amendment rights is notably sparse, the Plaintiffs have at least plausibly alleged that noncitizens, including lawful permanent residents, are being targeted specifically for exercising their right to political speech,” Young wrote in a 68-page decision.

“This Court rules that the Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged the existence of both an ideological-deportation policy targeting protected political speech and a more informal campaign of censorship through threats,” the Boston-based judge added.

Young largely rejected the Justice Department’s arguments that the scholars’ First Amendment claims could be pursued only on a case-by-case basis through immigration proceedings. The judge noted that the Trump administration relied on precedents from the Red Scare era, when the government sought to deport non-citizens who had been members of the Communist Party, but said those arguments are misguided.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/29/lawsuit-deportations-pro-palestine-proceed-00316368