Crackdown on Pro-Palestine Free Speech
May 2, 2025
Mohsen Mahdawi Ordered Free Pending Deportation Proceeding On April 30, 2025, federal District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford granted bail to Mohsen Mahdawi. As reported in the previous edition of the Gaza First Amendment Alert, Mahdawi is a graduate student at
April 18, 2025
Sign up here to receive future Gaza First Amendment Alerts in your inbox. Rubio Targets Another Permanent Resident Over Columbia Protests; Majority of Americans Oppose Abuse of Immigration to Chill Free Speech Rights On April 14, 2025, Mohsen Mahdawi arrived for what
April 14, 2025
An immigration judge In Louisiana ruled last week that Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, arrested for his role in peaceful demonstrations against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, can be deported over the Trump administration’s claim that he threatens U.S. foreign policy.
April 10, 2025
Washington, DC – Defending Rights & Dissent has launched a major new investigative project into the abuse of immigration process to retaliate against critics of Israel’s war in Gaza or supporters of the Palestinian people. As part of this project,
April 4, 2025
Rubio Ramps Up Political Abuse of Immigration Process, College Administrators Appease Anti-Free Speech Crackdown Sign up here to receive future Gaza First Amendment Alerts in your inbox. Marco Rubio Seeks to Deport Tufts Graduate Student for Writing An Op-ed On
March 30, 2025
The abduction of Mahmoud Khalil was a watershed moment in the repression of the Palestine solidarity movement. The Trump administration, invoking McCarthy-era laws and defying judicial orders, has declared war on free speech by detaining and attempting to deport activists
March 20, 2025
The Trump administration has delivered another blow to the First Amendment, seizing and detaining Georgetown postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suli. Suli, a citizen of India, is in the US legally on a student visa. But that didn’t stop masked DHS
March 19, 2025
U.S.-Backed Genocide in Gaza Resumes as Trump Faces Pressure for Anti-Diplomacy Purge In the early morning of March 18, 2025, Israel resumed its genocidal bombardment of the Gaza Strip. As Israel pounded the already badly destroyed Gaza, it killed 400
March 10, 2025
In a major escalation in the Trump administration’s ongoing war on the pro-Palestine solidarity movement and an extraordinary infringement of First Amendment rights, the Department of Homeland Security has detained Mahmoud Khalil, a leading activist at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment
March 7, 2025
Judiciary Committee exploits antisemitism to silence protests The Senate Judiciary Committee hosted a hearing on Wednesday, March 5, called “Never to be Silent: Stemming the Tide of Antisemitism in America,” a thinly disguised attack on student protesters, campus activism, and
February 21, 2025
Trump Declares National Emergency Over ICC Arrest Warrants for Israeli War Criminals, Issues Sanctions with Potentially Troubling Impact for Americans’ First Amendment Rights On February 6, President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court.
February 3, 2025
Attacks on First Amendment Continue as Fragile Ceasefire Holds When we last went to press, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had just been announced. Since then, Israel and Hamas have begun initial exchanges of captives. Hundreds of thousands of
January 16, 2025
A Ceasefire in Gaza? As we were putting the finishing touches on this edition of the Gaza First Amendment Alert, news came in that a temporary ceasefire agreement has been reached. The deal will not go into effect until Sunday
December 11, 2024
Want to receive the Gaza First Amendment Alert in your inbox? Sign up here for updates every other Wednesday. With Trump Allies Plotting Deportation of Activists, Right Wing Zionist Group Turns to Facial Recognition to Identify International Students As reported
November 27, 2024
Want to receive the Gaza First Amendment Alert in your inbox? Sign up here for updates every other Wednesday. Trump Administration Poised to Deliver More Middle East War, More Domestic Crackdown on Dissent On November 5, 2024, Donald Trump was
November 13, 2024
Want to receive the Gaza First Amendment Alert in your inbox? Sign up here for updates every other Wednesday. Congress could vote soon to block US arms sales to Israel Senator Sanders (I-VT) has introduced six Joint Resolutions of Disapproval
November 6, 2024
For six decades, we’ve defended the American people’s right to know and freedom to act no matter which party controlled the White House, Congress, or Supreme Court. Earlier today, the election was called for Donald Trump. But we’ve been prepared
October 30, 2024
Want to receive the Gaza First Amendment Alert in your inbox? Sign up here for updates every other Wednesday. Jewish Students’ Gaza Solidarity Sukkahs Come Under Attack From Universities, Pro-Israel Groups During the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, it is customary
October 16, 2024
Want to receive the Gaza First Amendment Alert in your inbox? Sign up here for updates every other Wednesday. In Spite of Backlash, Students Protest on Anniversary of War The one year anniversary of October 7 became a flashpoint
July 25, 2024
On July 24, 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited by the leaders of both parties to give a rare address before a joint session of Congress. During the address Netanyahu attacked US protesters. The following statement can be
June 21, 2024
Defending Rights & Dissent frequently lends our expertise to international bodies evaluating American adherence to international norms surrounding freedom of expression, defending civil space against state repression, and other related topics. On June 21, 2024, we submitted the following testimony
May 1, 2024
Defending Rights & Dissent condemns the crackdown taking place across campuses in the United States. Across the country, we have seen protests calling for a ceasefire and end to Israel’s brutal war in Gaza. Increasingly, many of these protests have
October 12, 2023
Reactions in the US to the Israel-Gaza war have created an inhospitality to dissent that has many recalling the aftermath of September 11, 2001 attacks. Both supporters of Palestine and Israel are entitled to the same First Amendment protections. However,
December 29, 2016
As a domestic civil liberties organization, we don’t take a position on the Middle East conflict, but when we see a systematic effort to crack down on a social movement, we fight back. As such, we have long been involved in opposing attempts to shut down Palestinian human rights advocacy. In 2016, we saw a record number of threats to Palestinian human rights advocacy domestically in the United States and a record level of involvement on our part.
December 6, 2016
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act is an attempt to use real fears about a political climate in which white supremacy is increasingly becoming normalized and made mainstream to enact a longstanding political project aimed at censoring and restricting speech about Israeli policies. As such, the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act must be rejected.