President Trump is an “authoritarian” who demands absolute obedience from his civil servants. This description comes from an American judge in a case involving five students who were imprisoned or deported.
The Trump administration violated their right to freedom of expression, the judge had already ruled earlier. As a result, he is now forcing the government to provide greater protection for a large group of university students and lecturers, various American media report.
Arbitrariness
Last year, the US government suddenly invalidated more than 1,800 study visas because of alleged antisemitism. Even students with permanent residence permits were not safe, as the widely discussed case of Mahmoud Khalil showed. He was arrested because of his pro-Palestinian activism.
Trump does not shy away from pressure and coercion in his policies. He has opponents prosecuted or deported from the country. There also appears to be a great deal of arbitrariness involved, for example in the way he imposes his will on universities. Numerous legal proceedings have already been brought against the administration over this.
Reverse
The only solution a judge in Boston now sees is to reverse the procedure: if the government wants to deport a specific group of students or lecturers again, it must first go to court to prove that this is not retaliation for views they have expressed.
This protection applies only to members of the two organisations that brought the lawsuit with the five students: the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Middle East Studies Association (MESA). The latter also has student members.
The organisations had asked the judge to protect all students and lecturers, but he said he had been prevented from doing so, he told the parties on Thursday. Last year, the Supreme Court drastically curbed the power of lower courts to block nationwide policy.
Reagan
During the hearing, the 85-year-old judge called this the most important case of his career, writes the New York Times. The judge, William G. Young, was appointed in the 1980s by then president Ronald Reagan, from whom Trump borrowed the slogan Make America Great Again. Young will deliver his written ruling in a few days.