Federal judge rules Trump administration unconstitutionally targeted pro‑Palestinian students for deportation
Federal Judge William Young ruled in a 161‑page opinion after a nine‑day trial that the Trump administration unconstitutionally targeted noncitizen pro‑Palestinian students for deportation, naming Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as officials who "acted in concert." The opinion publicly rebukes an anonymous threat postcard, criticizes President Trump for approving a "truly scandalous and unconstitutional suppression of free speech," and sharply condemned ICE practices after recounting the seizure and more‑than‑month detention of Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Öztürk by masked, plainclothes agents the judge said sought to "terrorize."
Education
Immigration
Politics
Legal
🔍 Key Facts
- Federal Judge William Young ruled the Trump administration unconstitutionally targeted noncitizen pro‑Palestinian students for deportation.
- Judge Young named Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as officials who "acted in concert" to target those students, and he explicitly criticized President Trump for approving what he called "truly scandalous and unconstitutional suppression of free speech."
- The court issued a 161‑page opinion following a nine‑day trial.
- The opinion details the seizure and detention of Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Öztürk by masked, plainclothes immigration agents; Öztürk was detained for more than a month and the judge condemned ICE's masking practices as intended to "terrorize."
- The published ruling unusually includes and publicly rebuts an anonymous threat postcard sent to the judge.
📍 Contextual Background
- Under U.S. federal law, attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization is a criminal offense.
- As of 2025-09-29, the statutory maximum prison sentence for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization is 15 years.
- Video footage captured an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer pushing a visibly upset Ecuadoran woman to the ground outside an immigration court at the 26 Federal Plaza building in Manhattan.
- The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the officer was being relieved of current duties while a full investigation was conducted and denouncing the officer's conduct as unacceptable.
- ICE stated the woman involved in the courthouse altercation is in the United States unlawfully and faces deportation proceedings.
- New York City has sanctuary city status.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executes search warrants at residences and family homes as part of criminal investigations.
📰 Sources (2)
Judge finds Trump admin. unconstitutionally targeted pro-Palestinian students
New information:
- The court opinion is 161 pages long and followed a nine‑day trial.
- Judge William Young named Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as officials who "acted in concert" to target noncitizen pro‑Palestinians for deportation.
- Specific detention instance: Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Öztürk was seized by masked, plainclothes immigration agents and detained more than a month; the judge harshly criticized ICE masking practices and described them as intended to "terrorize."
- The opinion includes and publicly rebuts an anonymous threat postcard sent to the judge, an unusual inclusion highlighted in the published ruling.
- Judge Young explicitly criticized President Trump in the opinion for approving 'truly scandalous and unconstitutional suppression of free speech' by senior officials.