Federal judge in Boston warns Trump against targeting immigration status of students suing him

"U.S. District Judge William G. Young ruled Thursday that the government must clearly prove any arrest, detention, or change in immigration status is based on a legitimate reason unrelated to retaliation. Young wrote that any attempt to change the immigration status of plaintiffs in the landmark case against the Trump administration will be presumed to be punishment for speaking out - unless the government can show strong evidence that the action was due to a crime, an expired visa, or another valid reason."

"The lawsuit was filed by university faculty and academic groups, including chapters at Harvard, NYU, and Rutgers, after international students were arrested following pro-Palestinian activism. It names President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE Director Todd Lyons as defendants. In September, Young ruled that the federal government violated the free speech rights of students who were targeted for arrest and possible deportation after their public support of Palestinians in Gaza."

"One such case was that of Tufts University Ph.D. student Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national who was taken from a Somerville street by plainclothed ICE agents in March. She was detained for six weeks in Louisiana and has since had her immigration record reinstated. In his September decision, Young wrote that noncitizens who are lawfully present in the United States are entitled to the same free speech protections as citizens."

A federal judge ordered the government to stop arresting or deporting international students and academic faculty who are plaintiffs in a First Amendment lawsuit unless the government clearly proves any action is unrelated to retaliation. The judge established a presumption that attempts to change plaintiffs' immigration status are punishment for speaking out unless the government shows strong evidence of a crime, an expired visa, or another valid reason. The lawsuit, filed by university faculty and academic groups after arrests tied to pro-Palestinian activism, names top federal officials and ICE leadership as defendants. One named student was detained six weeks and later reinstated.

Read at Boston.com