Federal Judge Rules Trump Administration's Deportation Efforts Against Pro-Palestinian Activists Unconstitutional
A federal judge in San Jose, California, U.S. District Judge Noel Wise, has ruled that the Trump administration's use of federal immigration laws to cancel visas and initiate deportation proceedings against noncitizen college students for their pro-Palestinian advocacy and criticism of Israel is unconstitutional. The ruling, issued on Friday, August 28, 2026, criticized the U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for targeting non-citizens based on their expressed views. Judge Wise, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, emphasized that free speech, including criticism of the government, is a cornerstone of U.S. democracy, and this strength is diminished when individuals feel compelled to self-censor to avoid government retaliation. The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed in August 2025 by The Stanford Daily, Stanford University's student newspaper, which alleged that some of its writers with student visas had refrained from covering pro-Palestinian protests and Middle E... 
