The trump administration has arrested a legal immigrant student for taking part in a demonstration against the Israeli action in Gaza. They want to revoke his right to be in this country and deport him.
They have also arrested a female doctoral student for writing a pro-Hamas editorial for her student newspaper. They want to revoke her right to stay in this country and deport her.
The Trump administration would like you to think that because these were not citizens, they don't have the same rights as citizens do under the Constitution. That is simply not true.
Anyone inside the borders of the United States have the rights guaranteed in the Constitution - including the right to assemble for a redress of grievances, free speech, and due process. Even Justice Scalia, a hero of the conservative right, agreed with this.
The Trump administration said these two had supported Hamas, and their actions were antisemitic. That may or may not be true. It doesn't matter, because the Constitution protects even offensive speech. It protects racist, homophobic, and misogynistic speech - and it protects anti semitic speech.
Any citizen or organization can respond to offensive hate speech, and even take legal action against it. BUT THE GOVERNMENT CAN NOT! The government cannot act against a person for exercising speech or assembly rights - even if it is offensive.
Trump has claimed he wants to protect free speech, but in reality, the only speech he wants to protect is the speech that he agrees with. As president, he cannot take any action to curtail free speech or assembly, no matter how offensive he finds it to be.
The Constitution is very clear on that!
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