FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[email protected]
March 6, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) warns of a dangerous new front in the Trump administration’s multi-pronged assault on First Amendment rights, with foreign students bearing the brunt of increasingly aggressive surveillance tactics. As reported by Marc Caputo at Axios, the U.S. State Department is deploying an artificial intelligence-fueled “Catch and Revoke” effort to identify and review Pro-Palestine activity of foreign students in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Students targeted by the program run the likelihood of having their student visa status revoked, leading to their removal from the country.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is deeply concerned that these developments signal an alarming erosion of constitutionally protected free speech and privacy rights.
“This should concern all Americans. This is a First Amendment and freedom of speech issue and the administration will overplay its hand,” said ADC National Executive Director Abed Ayoub in the Axios report. “Americans won’t like this. They’ll view this as capitulating free speech rights for a foreign nation.”
By employing AI to track and flag individuals for potential visa revocation and/or deportation, the administration is effectively criminalizing peaceful political expression and dissent. Not since the aftermath of 9/11 has such wide-scale surveillance been directed at non-citizen communities, and the reliance on AI tools only magnifies the likelihood of errors, misidentifications, and abuses of discretion. This raises profound questions about privacy and constitutional protections—who is controlling this data, how is it being used, and where is the human oversight?
ADC is alarmed by the prospects of pro-Palestine students being labeled as “national security threats,” given the dangerous precedent such claims set for indefinite detention or potential deportation without due process. The risk is even more dire for stateless Palestinians who, if swept up in these draconian measures, may have nowhere to go—or worse, could end up in extrajudicial detention facilities such as Guantánamo.
Recent threats of deportation, visa cancellations, and federal defunding for “illegal” protests severely undercut constitutionally protected free speech. Days ago, President Trump claimed he was “bringing freedom of speech back to America,” yet his administration is silencing students and placing foreign nationals under unprecedented scrutiny simply for denouncing a genocide that has horrified the global community.
The ADC reminds the Trump administration and all concerned officials that these students are not threats to national security; they are exercising their First Amendment rights. We call on educational institutions to protect academic freedoms and stand firm against intrusive surveillance measures that betray the fundamental values of our democracy.
At the same time, we urge foreign students to remain vigilant while on campus. If students need direct assistance or advice please email the ADC Legal Department to [email protected].
Call to Action for Attorneys
ADC anticipates a surge in legal challenges as these developments unfold. We call on attorneys nationwide to join our volunteer network to help defend students against improper surveillance, deportation, or unwarranted harassment. Our collective response can ensure that due process and free speech remain central pillars of our democracy.
For legal support, contact the ADC Legal Hotline at 202.244.2990 or email [email protected].
About ADC
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is the largest Arab American grassroots organization in the U.S., founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. ADC’s mission is to defend and promote the human rights, civil rights, and liberties of at least 3.7 million Arab Americans residing in the United States. Through its work, ADC fights discrimination in the U.S., enhances public understanding of Arab history and culture, and partners with marginalized communities globally to advance social justice.