Judge Rules Trump Visa Revocations for Pro-Palestinian Students Unconstitutional

A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration violated the U.S. Constitution when it used immigration laws to revoke visas and pursue deportation proceedings against noncitizen college students for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. The decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Noel Wise in San Jose, California, marks a significant legal defeat for the administration's campaign targeting foreign students involved in campus protests. In her 90-page ruling, Judge Wise criticized the U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security for using provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act to punish individuals for protected speech. She found that the administration's actions constituted unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. "Stated plainly, in the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people," Wise wrote. "It is not the government's to take." She added that the strength of American democracy is diminished when citizens and noncitizens alike must self-censor to avoid government retaliation.