Introduction to the Trial
By MICHAEL CASEY
BOSTON (AP) — Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s campaign of arresting and deporting college faculty and students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations spent the first few days of the trial showing how the crackdown silenced scholars and targeted more than 5,000 protesters.
The lawsuit, filed by several university associations, is one of the first against President Donald Trump and members of his administration to go to trial. Plaintiffs want U.S. District Judge William Young to rule that the policy violates the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that governs how federal agencies develop and issue regulations.
The government argues that no such policy exists and that it is enforcing immigration laws legally to protect national security.
Key Witnesses and Testimonies
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Ramya Krishnan, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute, speaks about a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration over deporting students and faculty who took part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the federal courthouse in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)
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Investigating Protesters
One of the key witnesses was Peter Hatch, who works for the Homeland Security Investigations unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Over two days of testimony, Hatch told the court a “Tiger Team” was formed in March — after two executive orders that addressed terrorism and combating antisemitism — to investigate people who took part in the protests.
Hatch said the team received as many as 5,000 names of protesters and wrote reports on about 200 who had potentially violated U.S. law. The reports, several of which were shown in court Thursday, included biographical information, criminal history, travel history and affiliations with pro-Palestinian groups as well as press clips and social media posts on their activism or allegations of their affiliation with Hamas or other anti-Israel groups. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
Until this year, Hatch said, he could not recall a student protester being referred for a visa revocation.
“It was anything that may relate to national security or public safety issues, things like: Were any of the protesters violent or inciting violence? I think that’s a clear, obvious one,” Hatch testified. “Were any of them supporting terrorist organizations? Were any of them involved in obstruction or unlawful activity in the protests?”
What is Canary Mission?
Weeks before Khalil’s arrest, a spokesperson for Betar told The Associated Press that the activist topped a list of foreign students and faculty from nine universities that it submitted to officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who made the decision to revoke Khalil’s visa.
The Department of Homeland Security said at the time that it was not working with Betar and refused to answer questions about how it was treating reports from outside groups.
In March, speculation grew that administration officials were using Canary Mission to identify and target student protesters. That’s when immigration agents arrested Ozturk.
Canary Mission has denied working with administration officials, while noting speculation that its reports led to that arrest and others.
Were Student Protesters Targeted?
Attorneys for the plaintiffs pressed a State Department official Friday over whether protests were grounds for revoking a student’s visa, repeatedly invoking several cables issued in response to Trump’s executive orders as examples of policy guidance.
But Maureen Smith, a senior adviser in the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, said protest alone wasn’t a critical factor. She wasn’t asked specifically about pro-Palestinian protests.
“It’s a bit of a hypothetical question. We would need to look at all the facts of the case,” she said. “If it were a visa holder who engages in violent activity, whether it’s during a protest or not — if they were arrested for violent activity — that is something we would consider for possible visa revocation.”
Scholars Scared by the Crackdown
The trial opened with Megan Hyska, a green card holder from Canada who is a philosophy professor at Northwestern University, detailing how efforts to deport Khalil and Ozturk prompted her to scale back her activism, which had included supporting student encampments and protesting in support of Palestinians.
“It became apparent to me, after I became aware of a couple of high-profile detentions of political activists, that my engaging in public political dissent would potentially endanger my immigration status,” Hyska said.
Nadje Al-Ali, a green card holder from Germany and professor at Brown University, said that after the arrests of Khalil and Ozturk, she canceled a planned research trip and a fellowship to Iraq and Lebanon, fearing that “stamps from those two countries would raise red flags” upon her return. She also declined to take part in anti-Trump protests and dropped plans to write an article that was to be a feminist critique of Hamas.
“I felt it was too risky,” Al-Ali said.
Conclusion
The trial against the Trump administration’s crackdown on campus protesters has shed light on the government’s policies and actions. The testimony of key witnesses, including Peter Hatch, has revealed the extent of the investigations into protesters and the use of reports from outside groups like Canary Mission. The trial has also highlighted the impact of the crackdown on scholars and students, who have been forced to scale back their activism and fear for their immigration status. As the trial continues, it remains to be seen how the court will rule on the constitutionality of the government’s policies.
FAQs
Q: What is the lawsuit against the Trump administration about?
A: The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s campaign of arresting and deporting college faculty and students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Q: What is Canary Mission?
A: Canary Mission is a group that says it documents people who “promote hatred of the U.S.A., Israel and Jews on North American college campuses.”
Q: Were student protesters targeted by the government?
A: Attorneys for the plaintiffs pressed a State Department official over whether protests were grounds for revoking a student’s visa, but the official said protest alone wasn’t a critical factor.
Q: How has the crackdown affected scholars and students?
A: The crackdown has forced scholars and students to scale back their activism and fear for their immigration status, with some canceling research trips and dropping plans to write articles critical of Hamas.
