Republican Students Break With Trump Over Deporting People for Protests
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About two-thirds of Republican college students oppose deporting international students for organizing campus protests, while more than 7-in-10 oppose deportations for critiquing Israel, according to a new Newsweek/College Pulse survey.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump campaigned on cracking down on illegal immigration, making it a top priority since he entered office in January and appointed Tom Homan as his border czar to influence policies. Results have been met with below-average enthusiasm, according to recent polls.
Under a Trump executive order, those polices have extended to deporting international students for organizing or participating in pro-Palestinian protests, which became commonplace last year at several colleges and universities with encampments that led to both students and faculty members being arrested.
What To Know
The Newsweek/College Pulse survey found that 65 percent of respondents identifying as Republicans oppose deporting international students who engaged in campus protests, while 71 percent said they opposed deporting students for speech critical of Israel.
Of the 65 percent, 38 percent "somewhat opposed" such measures while 27 percent "strongly opposed" them.
About 35 percent somewhat opposed deportation for bad-mouthing Israel, and 36 percent strongly opposed it. Just 3 percent strongly supported such measures.
The second wave of this survey was conducted between April 9 and 15 and included 1,022 undergraduate students. The first wave was conducted between January 27 and 31, including 1,207 additional undergraduates. The College Pulse sample was drawn from a panel that includes over 950,000 students representing more than 1,500 different colleges and universities in all 50 states.
Hundreds protest outside a rally held by President Donald Trump in Warren, Michigan, on April 29, 2025.
Hundreds protest outside a rally held by President Donald Trump in Warren, Michigan, on April 29, 2025.
DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
The margin of error in sampling is between three and 13 points. The survey can be found here.
As of April 14, data from Inside Higher Ed showed that at least 1,179 students have had their F-1 and J-1 student visas revoked. Others have had a sudden or unexpected change in their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) listing.
But the number is actually higher, they say, as large international student populations are enrolled in small, private liberal arts colleges. The current database mainly consists of public regional or flagship colleges and universities, too, with approximately 28 percent of the nearly 250 colleges being private.
"Wielding immigration law and deportations in order to chill free speech and political dissent is a dangerous concept that has no place in America, and it's heartening to see young people agree, regardless of party affiliation," Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America's Voice, told Newsweek.
"Unfortunately, it's just one piece of this administration's larger immigration agenda that's taking aim at core pillars of American democracy, such as due process rights and the separation of powers."
One of the major cases that has garnered headlines involved green card holder Mahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old legal U.S. citizen and pro-Palestinian activist who in March was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and currently risks being deported. He has a wife in the U.S.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Khalil's efforts as "antisemitic" and "disruptive," using the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 as the basis for attempting the deportation.
What People Are Saying
The White House, in an April 28 statement: "Since President Donald J. Trump took office, he and his administration have ushered in the most secure border in modern American history — and he didn't need legislation to do it. President Trump has made good on the promises he made on the campaign trail to usher in an unprecedented era of homeland security."
What Happens Next
After a judge ruled that Khalil could be deported, his lawyers appealed.
It is expected that the Trump administration will continue to crack down on protesters they deem to be antisemitic or openly pro-Palestine or pro-Hamas.
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