On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to combat anti-Semitism and pledged to deport non-American university students and other resident foreigners who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

The list of main provisions of the order promised that the Justice Department would take “immediate action” regarding “terrorist threats, arson, vandalism, and violence against American Jews.” It also pledged to mobilize all federal resources to combat what it called an “explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and streets” since the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Trump stated in the order: “To all resident foreigners who joined the pro-jihadist protests, we warn you: in 2025... we will find you and deport you.” He added, reiterating a campaign promise from the 2024 presidential campaign, “I will also revoke the student visas of anyone who sympathizes with Hamas on college campuses, which have become infested with extremism like never before.”

The order will require agency and department officials to submit recommendations to the White House within 60 days regarding all criminal and civil authorities that could be used to address anti-Semitism, and will demand “the deportation of resident foreigners who violate our laws.”

Human rights advocacy groups and legal scholars said that this measure could violate constitutional freedom of speech rights and is likely to provoke legal challenges. According to Kari D. Schulz, a lecturer at Columbia Law School, “the First Amendment (of the Constitution) protects everyone in the U.S., including foreigners studying at American universities. Deporting non-citizens based on their political speech would be unconstitutional.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported that it would consider challenging the expected order in court if Trump attempts to implement it.

The Hamas attack and the subsequent Israeli assault on Gaza led to pro-Palestinian protests that lasted for several months and shook American university campuses. Civil rights organizations documented incidents of anti-Semitism, anti-Arab sentiment, and Islamophobia.

Many pro-Palestinian protesters denied supporting Hamas or engaging in anti-Semitic acts, stating that they were protesting against the Israeli military assault on Gaza, where health authorities say more than 47,000 people have been killed as a result.

Maia Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, a non-partisan organization concerned with civil rights, noted that the organization is deeply disturbed by the obvious conflation of criticism of Israel with the alleged anti-Semitism in the expected order, adding that the order would have a chilling effect on free expression throughout the United States.