United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to combat anti-Semitism and vowed to expel non-US university students and others who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
The plan to combat anti-Semitism calls for immediate action by the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute those who disrupt order on American university campuses. It also calls for the deportation of non-permanent residents “who have violated our laws,” citing earlier warnings by Mr. Trump to revoke the visas of international students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Rights groups and legal scholars said the new measure would violate the constitutional right to freedom of speech and is likely to bring legal challenges, A2 reports.
"The First Amendment protects everyone in the United States, including foreign citizens studying at American universities ," Reuters quoted Carrie DeCell, an attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, as saying. "Deporting non-citizens based on political views would be unconstitutional."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim rights group, said it would consider challenging the order in court if Mr. Trump tried to implement it.
Tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas led to protests on American university campuses, including a wave of pro-Palestinian camps, resulting in 3,200 arrests.
Many pro-Palestinian protesters denied supporting Hamas or engaging in anti-Semitic acts, saying they were protesting the military operation in Gaza, where local health authorities say more than 47,000 people have been killed. (A2 Televizion)
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