Is free speech under attack in the US?
In a country that prides itself on democracy, freedom of speech, and the right to protest, a chilling question is emerging: Who gets to speak, and who is being silenced?
More than 1,000 international students and recent graduates across the United States have reportedly had their visas revoked or their legal status altered. Meanwhile, American citizens have faced detentions at airports and border crossings, been interrogated about their political beliefs, and had their phones searched for content against President Donald Trump. Are we witnessing a quiet erosion of First Amendment rights?
Presenter: Stefanie Dekker
Guests:
Nora Benavidez – Civil rights lawyer
Conor Fitzpatrick – Senior lawyer at Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
Tamara Turki – Student at Columbia University
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Khadija Mahmoud* is pulling an all-nighter, filled with caffeine and surviving on adrenalin to pack up her belongings so she can catch the train in the morning from Washington, DC to New York City for her summer internship. Mahmoud is a 21-year old international student who has just finished her junior year at Georgetown University. She is anxious and worried after her immigration lawyer advised against leaving the country for the summer due to the recent border control policies for international students. On 27 May, the State Department instructed United States embassies around the world to temporarily pause scheduling new student visa appointments, as the Trump administration seeks to expand social media screenings for applicants, the latest in a string of restrictions targeting international students. 'It's been very turbulent, and equally terrifying with each development that comes,' Mahmoud told Al Jazeera, speaking from her college dormitory in Washington, DC. Mahmoud isn't alone in feeling this way. Many other international students say they feel they need to stay under the radar, afraid that even a small issue could get them deported. According to NAFSA, a US nonprofit organisation that focuses on international education and student exchange, over the 2023/2024 academic year there were just more than 1.1 million international students studying in the US. These international students made up 5.6 percent of the nearly 19 million total higher education students across the US. Together, students from India and China made up 54 percent of the total, with India leading at 331,602 (29 percent) and China at 277,398 (25 percent).Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA, who is herself a former international student, says she knows on a personal and professional level how important the cultural exchange between international students and local communities is, especially in today's hyper connected world. 'I think this is a major loss for the United States; other countries will open their doors and they are already welcoming students,' Aw told Al Jazeera. 'Students want certainty. They want consistency. And they want to know that the system works. And if they continue to see action after action, they're already losing trust,' she adds. 'Once you continue down this road, you will have years to recover from this, and you may never recover from it. Because by then, more other countries are competing for these same students.' 'We're seeing Germany. We're seeing Japan. We're seeing South Korea. Malaysia has always been a destination for students. The Middle East, with all of the American-style universities – this is what the US is competing with.' Although many international students are concentrated at major universities on the East and West coasts, a sizeable number also study at prominent universities in the Midwest and other parts of the US. According to data compiled by Open Doors, during the 2023/2024 academic year, New York City hosted the largest number of international students, with 27,247 at New York University and 20,321 at Columbia University. Northeastern University in Boston follows, with 21,023 international such student headed to the Midwest is Noor Ali*, a 23-year-old from Karachi, Pakistan, who is embarking on her masters in journalism on a full scholarship from the university. Ali has requested her identity be concealed and her institution not be named for her security. Despite having already received her student visa, she's still concerned about entering the US. 'I got my visa the day that India attacked Pakistan and Pakistan retaliated against India,' she laughs as she explains how she ventured out that day when both nuclear neighbours were engaged in an aerial face-off, far above in the skies. 'Miraculously, the appointment did not get cancelled. And I ended up going there for my interview. And I ended up getting the visa, which was like, insane. I didn't really know how I got it. But I mean, I've gotten it now!' Ali beams, her excitement undeniable at her luck. Although she had the option to study in Europe, she chose the US because of her familiarity with the country through movies and TV shows. Even without having visited, she feels like she understands American life and culture. 'These values of American democracy are about American freedom. And, you know, just a lot of focus on ethics and morality, and it used to be known for its academic freedom, and a lot of focus on diversity.' Ali's ideals are not without scepticism or worry. She admits being very scared and has reconsidered her decision several times. Still, she feels encouraged by the pushback the Trump administration's policies have received lately. 'The core of American democracy or ideals of freedom are getting reinforced,' says Ali. She feels strongly that the cultural experience will be worth it for her. The Trump administration's latest step in its crackdown on US universities has particularly focused on international students who have shown support for Palestinians in Gaza over the past year. 'Georgetown has a pretty large international student population compared to other schools in the US, so you'd think that would translate into a lot more advocacy and more grassroots work going on on campus,' Mahmoud goes on to say. Mahmoud feels her college hasn't been a very vocal campus when it comes to the rights of students, nor in providing a proper safety net for freedom of speech. 'I think a massive inflection point on campus was the detention of Dr Badar Suri. I felt the need to have to scrape through my social media, see if I posted anything that could get me flagged,' says Mahmoud. Dr Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral scholar of conflict studies, was arrested on March 17 outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia and held in immigration detention for two months before being released on May 14, following a federal judge's order. Suri, whose wife Mapheze Saleh is a US citizen of Palestinian descent, has spoken out against Israel's war in Gaza. That particular case became a real turning point on the campus, she says, where a lot of international students had spoken up and taken to social media. According to NAFSA, the 1.1 million international students studying in the US contributed $43.8bn to the US economy during the 2023–2024 academic year, creating 378,175 jobs nationwide. That means that for every three international students enrolled, one US job was created or supported. California hosted the highest number of international students, with 140,858 contributing $6.4bn to the state's economy and supporting 55,114 jobs. New York followed with 135,813 students, generating $6.3bn and creating 51,719 jobs. Texas came third, with 89,546 international students contributing $2.5bn and supporting 22,112 jobs. In total, 12 states gained more than $1bn each from the economic contributions of international students. According to NAFSA, international student spending in these 12 states combined to generate 57 percent of the total dollar contribution to the US economy.'When your enrolment declines, then you're going to have some economic challenges and that's going to force institutions to have to make some very difficult decisions and choices,' NAFSA executive director Fanta Aw explains. 'The number of high schoolers that are graduating is on the decline in most parts of the country. So it's not like they can make that up with American domestic students because that's already on the decline.' 'So when you cannot have the level of enrollment at the undergraduate level here in the US and that is then compounded with the decline in international students, that's a perfect storm.' Aw says many international students who return home contribute to their countries, while those who stay in the US contribute through taxes and help boost the overall economy. In the 2023-2024 academic year, among the 1.1 million students, the most popular majors were Math and Computer Science, Engineering, and Business and Management. International students enrolled in English language programs contributed $371.3m and supported 2,691 jobs. In terms of degrees, nearly half (502,000) of all international students were registered for postgraduate programmes, 343,000 in undergraduate programmes, 243,000 in Optional Practical Training (OPT), and 39,000 in non-degree programmes.*Name has been changed to protect anonymity
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Trump announces travel ban on people from 12 countries
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Al Jazeera
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US judge halts deportation of family of suspect in pro-Israel rally attack
A United States judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of family members related to a suspect accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado. The ruling on Wednesday came after the administration of President Donald Trump arrested the wife of Mohamed Soliman and their five children in an effort to deport them. Judge Gordon Gallagher wrote that Soliman's wife, Hayam El Gamal, and her children cannot be removed from the country as long as his order stands. 'Moreover, the Court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm,' the judge said. El Gamal, who has not been charged with a crime, had filed a legal petition for her release. Soliman, meanwhile, has been charged with a federal hate crime over the attack on Sunday, which injured 12 people. It is unclear if the Trump administration has any evidence that Soliman's relatives committed wrongdoing, or if they were simply targeted for their association with him. Authorities have indicated that Soliman appears to have acted alone in the attack. Still, Trump officials signalled they would take an aggressive approach to investigating and deporting individuals they perceived to be linked to 'terrorism'. 'In light of yesterday's horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump Administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a social media post on Monday. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Tuesday the detention of Elgamal, her three daughters and her two sons, four of whom are minors. 'We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a video posted online. 'Justice will be served.' According to DHS, Soliman and his family arrived in the US on temporary visas in 2022 before applying for asylum. Soliman's visa expired in 2023. Media reports indicate that El Gamal, meanwhile, applied for an employment visa: She has a background as a network engineer. Critics say the tactic of penalising the relatives of a criminal suspect is a form of unlawful collective punishment. In the West Bank, for instance, human rights groups have denounced Israeli operations that demolished the homes of Palestinians related to suspects in armed attacks. The attack in Colorado has been linked to Israel's war on Gaza, which United Nations experts have described as a genocide. The suspect allegedly yelled 'Free Palestine' during the fire-bombing. The Washington-backed war has also sparked other violent incidents on US soil. The incident in Colorado followed the killing of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, DC, last month. In October 2023, a six-year-old Palestinian boy was stabbed to death in the Chicago area in another crime linked to the war. The 73-year-old suspect reportedly told the boy's mother that Muslims 'must die' as he attacked them. He was sentenced to 53 years after being convicted of murder and hate crimes. Weeks later, three Palestinian American students were shot and severely wounded in Vermont. The war on Gaza has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians, according to health officials.
