President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order that could lead to the deportation of pro-Hamas agitators. Such a move comes after, as Katie covered last week, Trump signed an executive order "protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and other national security and public safety threats."
"President Trump is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday instructing all federal agencies to identify civil and criminal authorities available to combat antisemitism — including finding ways to deport anti-Jewish activists who violated laws," The New York Post reported.
As the report also mentioned:
The order requires agency and department leaders to provide the White House with recommendations within 60 days and outlines plans for the Justice Department to investigate pro-Hamas graffiti and intimidation, including on college campuses, according to a document describing the order.
The executive order calls for the deportation of resident aliens — including students with visas — who broke laws as part of anti-Israel protests following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks that sparked the invasion of Gaza, the document reviewed by The Post says.
There's mention of a report focusing on college campuses, including and especially at Columbia University. The Republican-controlled House for the 118th Congress held several hearings focusing on antisemitism. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who is now Trump's nominee to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, had an epic takedown of now-former university presidents during a hearing in December 2023. Her strong condemnation of antisemitism came up again this month during her confirmation hearing.
As The Post also discussed:
Six Republican-led House committees issued a report last month calling for the federal government to do more to address antisemitism, including by conditioning federal aid to colleges to force stricter policies against anti-Jewish bias.
That report focused heavily on Columbia University, the site of a large encampment that featured many documented instances of anti-Jewish remarks against both pro-Israel activists and Jewish students, and noted that allegedly permissive colleges took in $2.7 billion in federal funds in fiscal year 2023.
The State Department and Department of Homeland Security under President Joe Biden stonewalled records requests about the number of visa holders among those protesters, the House GOP report said.
During the campaign trail for 2024, Trump made such assurances that pro-Hamas foreign nationals would be deported and that higher institutions would lose accreditation and federal support if they didn't do enough to combat antisemitism.
Then-President Joe Biden was himself slow to respond to antisemitism and pro-Hamas activity on college campuses and often put out statements through a spokesperson. He also had a "fine people on both sides" moment. His administration as a whole, including Vice President Kamala Harris, was also tepid at best in showing their support of Israel. Last May, Biden halted arms to Israel over operations in Rafah.
It goes further than the former president, though. Support for Israel and condemnation of antisemitism and pro-Hamas activity have put the Democratic Party as a whole in disarray. Members of the far-left, anti-Israel Squad, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and now former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), were particularly supportive of the protests at Columbia University. There was even a move to censure Omar after she claimed that Jewish students were "pro-genocide."
Columbia is hardly the only institution where pro-Hamas activity and bias against Jews were allowed to go on, while far too many Democrats remained silent. Young America's Foundation (YAF) also filed a lawsuit against the University of California - Los Angeles last year.
On the anniversary of October 7, during which Harris as the Democratic nominee at this point planted a tree and her heavily edited, anti-Israel remarks on "60 Minutes" gained traction, more pro-Hamas violence occurred at Columbia.
One pro-Israel Democrat, however, posted his approval to the executive order, as Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) did over X on Wednesday morning.
"A visa is not a right but a privilege, and that privilege, once abused, should be revoked," he also reminded.
If you’re a student who is here on a visa and you’re breaking laws, committing crimes, and aligning with terrorist organizations that seek the destruction of the United States, you should have your visa revoked.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) January 29, 2025
A visa is not a right but a privilege, and that privilege, once… pic.twitter.com/364rNXRYNN