The liberal outrage machine is in high gear once again over recent deportations involving academics and university affiliates. They claim these actions are targeted at critics of President Trump. However, let’s set the record straight—these deportations are a result of clear violations of residency terms, including participation in or encouragement of violent protests.
Critics are also up in arms about the use of plainclothes officers for arrests and the supposed lack of jury trials. Here’s what the mainstream media won’t tell you: it is entirely within legal bounds for plainclothes officers to make arrests. Moreover, in the United States, revocation of a visa or residency doesn’t always necessitate a trial. The process depends on the violation’s specifics, the individual’s immigration status, and the prevailing legal framework.
In early 2025, several high-profile cases surfaced involving academics and university affiliates busted for violating their residency terms. These deportations highlight the Trump administration’s firm stance on enforcing immigration laws. Let’s look at some examples of how these individuals breached their visa or residency conditions:
- Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian green card holder and Columbia University graduate, was a key figure in organizing pro-Palestinian protests in 2024. Arrested by ICE on March 8, 2025, he faced deportation after the Department of Homeland Security accused him of “leading activities aligned to Hamas,” a designated terrorist organization. His involvement allegedly included negotiations with university officials, crossing the line into illegal actions—grounds for revoking his permanent residency.
- Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, was detained in March 2025 by DHS. The administration charged him with “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media,” breaching his visa terms under a statute allowing deportation if a non-citizen poses “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Despite a federal judge halting his deportation on March 27, 2025, the Trump administration stands firm in seeking his deportation.
- Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Fulbright scholar at Tufts University, was arrested on March 26, 2025, for her role in pro-Palestinian campus activism. ICE argued that she violated her student visa by participating in protests labeled “illegal” and supportive of “hateful ideology,” aligning with Trump’s January 2025 executive orders on antisemitism. Critics lamented her arrest during Ramadan, citing insensitivity, although no law halts enforcement during the Muslim fasting period. Notably, her arrest coinciding with Lent did not evoke similar complaints from Catholics.
These examples underscore the administration’s commitment to deporting non-citizens involved in protests branded as “pro-jihadist” or antisemitic. These individuals clearly violated their residency terms by engaging in or promoting violent protests.
The legality of using plainclothes officers for arrests is clear, as is the fact that U.S. law permits deportation of individuals who breach residency terms without a jury trial. This applies to both visa holders and permanent residents, including green card holders.
The media loves to emphasize how long these individuals have lived in the U.S. or their educational accomplishments as reasons against deportation. Yet, immigration laws apply uniformly to all non-citizens, regardless of their stay duration, education level, or job.
In America, a visa—whether for tourism, study, or work—allows you to stay under certain conditions, such as not working on a tourist visa or maintaining student status. Violating these terms, as detailed in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), can lead to deportation without trial.
Agencies like the Department of State or ICE can revoke visas administratively for overstays or unauthorized work, bypassing courts. Deportation, or “removal,” is typically an administrative process—expedited removal near borders skips courts entirely, while other cases may involve an immigration judge, not a jury. Even green card holders face this for residency breaches, though they have more appeal rights.
Criminal trials only occur where violations involve crimes like fraud, not basic overstays. In 2023, ICE deported over 235,000 people, mostly without court involvement, showing that trials aren’t standard for visa violations.
