Stanford University’s student-run newspaper, The Stanford Daily, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday, challenging its use of a federal immigration law to target and deport pro-Palestinian Arab activists.
The newspaper argues that the government’s actions have unlawfully curtailed students' First Amendment rights, reported CNN.
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California, represents a legal challenge to two provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). These provisions have been central to the Trump administration's so-called ideological deportation policy, which aims to deport noncitizens based on their political views.
The case was brought by The Stanford Daily and two former noncitizen college students, who fear their pro-Palestinian Arab views or activism could make them vulnerable to deportation. Attorneys representing the newspaper stated that international students on staff have been avoiding writing about the war in Gaza or have removed previously published articles out of fear.
"Since the Trump administration began targeting lawfully present noncitizens for deportation based on protected speech in March 2025, lawfully present noncitizen students working at and contributing to Stanford Daily have self-censored expression for fear of visa revocation, arrest, detention, and deportation," the attorneys from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) wrote in their court filing.
At the center of the case are two INA provisions. One grants the Secretary of State the authority to determine that a noncitizen should be removed from the country if their views “would compromise a compelling United States foreign policy interest.” The second provision gives the Secretary the power to revoke a visa at any time, at their discretion.
The lawsuit seeks a federal judge’s order barring the administration from using these provisions to deport noncitizens, particularly staff members of The Stanford Daily, based on their protected speech.
Stanford, like other campuses in the US, saw an uptick in anti-Israel protests in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and the ensuing war in Gaza.
In June of 2024, a committee charged with analyzing the antisemitism at Stanford found “widespread and pernicious” antisemitism at the university.
This past April, 12 individuals were charged with felony vandalism in connection with a pro-Palestinian Arab demonstration that took place at Stanford University last year. During that protest, demonstrators occupied the office of the university's president, leading to significant damage.