WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at combating antisemitism, pledging to prosecute hate crimes while also vowing to deport non-citizen college students and others who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
The order, signed on Wednesday, directs the Justice Department to take “immediate action” against “terroristic threats, arson, vandalism, and violence against American Jews,” according to a White House fact sheet.
It calls for an aggressive use of federal resources to address what it describes as an “explosion of antisemitism” in the U.S. since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Trump framed the order as a crackdown on radicalism on college campuses.
“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” he said in the fact sheet.
He also reiterated a 2024 campaign promise to revoke student visas for what he called “Hamas sympathizers.”
The executive order mandates a review of legal actions tied to K-12 schools and universities, potentially opening the door for deportations of foreign students and staff found to have participated in protests deemed antisemitic.
Civil rights groups swiftly condemned the order, arguing it violates free speech protections.
“The First Amendment protects everyone in the United States, including foreign citizens studying at American universities,” said Carrie DeCell, a senior attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. “Deporting non-citizens on the basis of their political speech would be unconstitutional.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) indicated it would consider legal action if the order is enforced, while the Arab American Institute warned that the measure conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
Pro-Palestinian activists denied supporting Hamas or engaging in antisemitic behavior, saying their demonstrations have focused on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
More than 47,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to Gaza health authorities.
The executive order comes amid rising tensions on U.S. campuses, where both antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate incidents have surged in recent months.
It also signals a potential legal battle over the limits of presidential authority in restricting political speech and academic freedom.
