The Globe investigated a Zionist group that claims credit for Trump's efforts to deport students. Here are 5 takeaways.
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TODAY'S STARTING POINT
You've probably heard that the Trump administration has revoked the visas of hundreds of international students studying in the US,
What you may not have heard is that the administration seems to have had help.
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A handful of pro-Israel groups are publicly taking credit for some of the government's recent arrests. One such group is Betar, a century-old Zionist organization whose mantra is 'Jews Fight Back.' In recent months, Betar's US branch has compiled a list of allegedly pro-Palestinian students it believes the administration should deport.
My colleagues on the Globe's Spotlight team have just
1. From 'gadflies' to influencers
Betar isn't new to this. Last fall, it criticized prosecutors in Newton for charging a supporter of Israel who shot a pro-Palestinian man at a rally there, urging businesses to boycott the city. Yet Betar's influence was limited. The Newton boycott fizzled, and local officials considered the group 'very fringe.'
President Trump's inauguration, however, seems to have given it new reach. An attorney for Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts PhD student detained last month, said that Betar and groups like it were once seen as 'gadflies.' Now, he and other lawyers for targeted students believe the administration is 'more than willing to act on the information' Betar provides.
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2. Betar has targeted New England students
That information came in the form of a list of dozens of allegedly pro-Palestinian students that Betar says it gave to the Trump administration. According to the group, the students' offenses include pro-Hamas advocacy, as well as jaywalking and a noise complaint.
So far, the administration has
targeted at least seven of the people Betar listed, including Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi, the Columbia student immigration officials arrested in Vermont this week.
3. But its list has major errors
While Betar wouldn't give the Globe a copy of its list, my colleagues found a version briefly posted on the group's website. It featured the names, photos, and descriptions of 77 people.
Some of Betar's entries, however, appear to be completely wrong. In one case, the group listed the name and photo of a woman wearing a hijab, identifying her as a Nigerian Harvard student who spoke at a pro-Hamas rally. Contacted by the Globe, the woman said she's never visited the US, attended Harvard, or been to a pro-Hamas rally, calling Betar's claims 'completely false.'
Betar made similar mistakes in describing at least two other students it listed, my colleagues found. 'Go to hell,' a Betar spokesperson said in response to their questions. 'Who are you to judge us?'
4. Betar's influence is unclear
The administration isn't trumpeting any associations with Betar so far, telling the Globe that State Department staff make decisions about visas. Ross Glick, a former Betar employee who spoke to the Globe, wouldn't say who in the administration received Betar's list.
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But the group does seem to be well connected. A public relations executive named Ronn Torossian, who founded Betar US last spring, has organized fund-raisers for Mayor Eric Adams of New York and done work for the foundation of Eric Trump, the president's middle son.
Glick also claims to have made inroads with lawmakers. He has said he met with Senator John Fetterman, a pro-Israel Pennsylvania Democrat, and with aides to two Senate Republicans, Ted Cruz and James Lankford. In statements to the Globe, Fetterman denied 'any involvement' with Betar, while Lankford's aides said they have no evidence that anyone from the group met with the senator or his staff. Cruz's office didn't respond to requests for comment.
5. The group says there's more to come
So far, Betar seems unbothered by those disavowals. Its website says it hopes to establish 25 chapters in the US this year, and it has raised tens of thousands of dollars on GoFundMe.
Betar isn't alone in highlighting the Trump administration's supposed ideological foes. Canary Mission, another pro-Israel group,
Betar isn't done, either. This week, the group predicted that immigration officials would soon target students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As Glick, the former Betar employee, told the Globe, 'We want to help our government.'
Read more:
ICE has also
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POINTS OF INTEREST
The Bruins gave their fans at TD Garden a stick salute after they ended the regular season with a loss to the Devils on Tuesday.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Boston
Assurance:
Staff for Josh Kraft's mayoral campaign
Scam alert:
Police warned of fraudulent emails that falsely claim Bostonians
Bruins blues:
After the team missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years, CEO Charlie Jacobs
Legacy project:
The Fieldhouse+, a $70 million athletic center near Columbia Point in Dorchester, honors a Boston Marathon bombing victim.
The former guy:
Joe Biden
Massachusetts and New England
No more room:
Governor Maura Healey's administration has capped enrollment in a Massachusetts program that helps elders
Systemic issue:
Teacher turnover is highest at Massachusetts schools
Cutting corners:
Five members of New Hampshire's Commission on Government Efficiency, which its Republican governor named after Elon Musk's DOGE,
Trump administration
Rescue mission:
Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, flew to El Salvador to try to free a man the administration wrongly deported from his state. Officials there blocked Van Hollen from seeing or speaking with the man. (
Immigration case:
A judge found probable cause to hold the administration in contempt for sending deportation flights to El Salvador despite his order not to. (
Sowing confusion:
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s pledge to determine what causes autism by September
Setting expectations:
Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, said he anticipates higher inflation and lower growth because of Trump's tariffs. Stocks fell. (
Tariff lawsuit:
California is contesting Trump's power to levy tariffs without Congress's approval. (
Second brancth:
Trump declared an emergency to try to expand logging in US forests. New England environmentalists say it's an effort
The Nation and the World
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In the dark:
Puerto Rico experienced an islandwide blackout, its second in less than four months. (
Protests continue:
Police used stun guns to subdue demonstrators at a town hall for Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right House Republican. (
Transgender rights:
Trans women are not legally women under a UK anti-discrimination law, the country's top court ruled. (
BESIDE THE POINT
By Teresa Hanafin
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Animal alert:
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Running hot:
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Women's sports are lit:
USA Today launched a website called
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TV review:
Star Wars spinoff 'Andor' offers an
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Two big flops:
Yup, Fyre Fest 2 has been postponed. Are we surprised? (
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Downsize and save:
Kia has introduced an affordable electric sedan ($35k) in hopes that drivers will forego their obsession with SUVs. (
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Underwater:
Libertarians have long looked at ocean living as the next frontier. Some wealthy men — techno-utopians — are testing the waters. (
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