WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) warns that President Donald Trump’s latest executive order poses a serious and unconstitutional threat to the civil liberties of all Americans. The order directs federal agencies to pursue civil and criminal actions against students and university personnel who advocate for Palestinian liberation or criticize Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This violation of the First Amendment undermines the fundamental freedoms of speech, expression, and association.
Since October 7, 2023, under the watch of the Biden administration, U.S. authorities have escalated tactics—including widespread surveillance, task forces, private investigators, and punishments for peaceful demonstrations—that intimidate pro-Palestine students. President Trump’s directive intensifies these repressive measures and demands harsher enforcement by pressuring universities to surveil and report foreign students and staff for potential deportation.
“This order conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism and ignores rampant anti-Palestinian bigotry across campuses and American society,” said ADC Legal Director Chris Godshall-Bennett. “President Trump’s order assaults student rights and heightens fear on campuses. Government officials and university administrators cannot strip students of visas or threaten them with criminal prosecution for expressing political views or criticizing government actions. This order encourages federal agencies and universities to label pro-Palestine activism as ‘antisemitic’ and to weaponize the law to punish protected speech. Our Constitution forbids this kind of ideological crackdown.”
This new order builds on the expanded travel ban issued on January 20, 2025, which broadened the government’s power to deny visas and remove individuals based on ideological exclusion. It directs federal agencies to audit laws that could be used to penalize activists under the guise of combating antisemitism. It also requires the attorney general to review all campus-related antisemitism cases since October 7, 2023, and consider applying 18 U.S.C. § 241—a criminal statute—against individuals for engaging in constitutionally protected speech. Additionally, the Department of Education must review all Title VI complaints involving alleged antisemitism, further targeting pro-Palestinian activism.
ADC recognizes that these measures disproportionately impact Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and other students of color who already encounter bias and disciplinary actions for exercising free expression. The order enlists universities in a sweeping effort to expand racist and xenophobic surveillance, requiring administrators to monitor and report on protest activity—an unconstitutional threat to academic freedom.
ADC urges public officials, civil society organizations, and educational leaders to oppose this order in the courts, in Congress, and through collective advocacy. Every student—regardless of immigration status—deserves the right to speak freely without fear of retaliation or deportation. President Trump’s executive order represents a blatant attack on the First Amendment and advances a long-running campaign to silence criticism of Israel. ADC calls on universities and communities to stand against this assault on our rights and freedoms.