Latest news with #FirstAmendment
Express Tribune
6 minutes ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Court shields foreign students at Harvard
A federal judge on Friday indefinitely paused Donald Trump's bid to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students as the US president said a "deal" with the Ivy League school was in the works, reported AFP. The order by District Judge Allison Burroughs will allow international students to continue to attend the elite university while a lawsuit filed by Harvard plays out in the courts. Trump, who has cut federal grants for Harvard and tried a host of different tactics to block the institution from hosting international students, said that his administration has been holding negotiations with Harvard. "Many people have been asking what is going on with Harvard University and their large-scale improprieties that we have been addressing, looking for a solution," Trump said in a post Friday on Truth Social. "We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a deal will be announced over the next week or so," he said. "If a settlement is made on the basis currently being discussed, it will be mindboggingly historic, and very good for our country." Trump did not provide any details about the purported "deal." The Trump administration has sought to remove Harvard from an electronic student immigration registry and instructed embassies to deny visas to international students hoping to attend the Massachusetts-based university. Harvard has sued the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to block the efforts, arguing that they were illegal and unconstitutional. Harvard previously secured two temporary restraining orders from Burroughs against the government's move to bar international students, and the judge extended it with a preliminary injunction on Friday. International students accounted for 27 per cent of total enrollment at Harvard in the 2024-2025 academic year and are a major source of income. In court filings, Harvard argued that Trump's actions were "retribution for Harvard's exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students."
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who is Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil and why was he detained for 104 days in US?
Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil has been released from a US immigration detention after 104 days over pro-Palestinian protests across US campuses. The US authorities had detained Mahmoud Khalil at his university residence on March 8.(AP/ File Photo) Khalil, a prominent voice in the pro-Palestinian protests last year, became a symbol of US President Donald Trump's clampdown after student protests. The 30-year-old international affairs student, who was released from a federal facility in Louisiana on Friday, is expected to head to New York to reunite with his wife and infant son, born while he was in detention, Associated Press reported. Why was Mahmoud Khalil arrested? The US authorities had detained Khalil at his university residence on March 8. The arrest appeared to be part of the Trump administration's pledge to deport international students who joined the protests against Israel's war in Gaza on US campuses last year. Also Read: Trump's immigration enforcement record so far, by the numbers He was taken to an immigration detention center in Jena, in remote Louisiana, though he was not involved in breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. Mahmoud Khalil's role in pro-Palestinian protests Khalil, a legal US resident, served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists at Columbia University. The protesting students had demanded Columbia's divestment from companies with ties to Israel, a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israel-Hamas war that killed over 55,000 Palestinians. During the protest at Columbia, some protestors had seized the administration building, after which the university brought in police to dismantle the encampment. However, Khalil was not accused of participating in the building occupation and wasn't among those arrested in connection with the protests. The case so far Months after the protests, the US government said that international students who participated in the protests should be expelled from the US for 'antisemitic' and 'pro-Hamas' sentiments. Also Read: Trump shares social media post suggesting Iran's Fordow nuclear site 'is gone' after US strikes Khalil's lawyers had challenged his detention, saying that the authorities were trying to deport him for an activity protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed Khalil's deportation citing a statute that allows the government to deport those who pose "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States." Though an Immigration Judge ruled that the government's contention was enough to satisfy requirements for Khalil's deportation, federal judges in New York and New Jersey ordered the US government not to deport Khalil while his case was being heard. Khalil was released after US District Judge Michael Farbiarz said it would be 'highly, highly unusual' for the government to continue detaining a legal US resident as he was not a flight risk or threat to his community while his immigration proceedings continued.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Louisiana Classroom Ten Commandments Requirement Blocked by Court
A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday struck down Louisiana's requirement for displaying the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Newsweek reached out to the office of Governor Jeff Landry via email on Saturday for comment. The ruling represents a decisive legal victory for advocacy groups challenging the state mandate on constitutional grounds. This constitutional challenge reflects broader national tensions over religious expression in public education, with the mandate previously receiving support from President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers. The ruling's implications extend beyond Louisiana, as Texas advances comparable legislation that affects nearly 6 million students in the nation's second-largest school system, while Arkansas faces parallel legal challenges as well. Louisiana Republican Governor Jeff Landry enacted the classroom display requirement in June 2024, mandating poster-sized presentations of the Ten Commandments across all public-school facilities. The law was quickly challenged by parents of Louisiana school children from various religious backgrounds, who filed a lawsuit arguing it violates First Amendment language that guarantees religious liberty and forbidding government establishment of religion. The ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals marked a major win for civil liberties groups who said the mandate violates the separation of church and state. The decision upholds an order issued last November by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles who declared the mandate unconstitutional and ordered state education officials not to enforce it. In a court with more than twice as many Republican-appointed judges, two of the three judges involved in Friday's ruling were appointed by Democratic presidents. Historical precedent shows the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that a Kentucky law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, finding it had no secular purpose but served a plainly religious purpose. In 2005, the Court held that displays in Kentucky courthouses violated the Constitution, while simultaneously upholding a Ten Commandments marker on the grounds of the Texas state Capitol in Austin. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) senior staff attorney Heather L. Weaver told the Associated Press: "This is a resounding victory for the separation of church and state and public education. With today's ruling, the Fifth Circuit has held Louisiana accountable to a core constitutional promise: Public schools are not Sunday schools, and they must welcome all students, regardless of faith." Americans United for Separation of Church and State spokesperson Liz Hayes told the AP: "All school districts in the state are bound to comply with the U.S. Constitution. Thus, all school districts must abide by this decision and should not post the Ten Commandments in their classrooms." Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry wrote in a statement on Friday: "The Ten Commandments are the foundation of our laws—serving both an educational and historical purpose in our classrooms." Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she would appeal the ruling, including taking it to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. Landry stated Friday that he supports the attorney general's plans to appeal. Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article. Related Articles Mahmoud Khalil Blasts Trump After Release: 'They Chose The Wrong Person'Trump Admin Gives Update on Using Military to Support ICE in 3 StatesMahmoud Khalil Cannot Be Detained or Deported, Judge RulesLouisiana Father Charged With Murder After Toddler Dies in Hot Car 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Politico
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Mahmoud Khalil vows to continue protests after release from detention
NEWARK, New Jersey — A Palestinian activist who was detained for more than three months pushed his infant son's stroller with one hand and cheered as he was welcomed home Saturday by supporters including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Mahmoud Khalil greeted friends and spoke briefly to reporters at New Jersey's Newark International Airport a day after leaving a federal immigration facility in Louisiana. A former Columbia University graduate student and symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests, he vowed to continue protesting Israel and the war in Gaza. 'The U.S. government is funding this genocide, and Columbia University is investing in this genocide,' he said. 'This is why I will continue to protest with every one of you. Not only if they threaten me with detention. Even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine.' Joining Khalil at the airport, Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said his detention violated the First Amendment and was 'an affront to every American.' 'He has been accused, baselessly, of horrific allegations simply because the Trump administration and our overall establishment disagrees with his political speech,' she said. 'The Trump administration knows that they are waging a losing legal battle,' Ocasio-Cortez added. 'They are violating the law, and they know that they are violating the law.' Khalil, a 30-year-old legal resident whose wife gave birth during his 104 days of detention, said he also will speak up for the immigrants he left behind in the detention center. 'Whether you are a citizen, an immigrant, anyone in this land, you're not illegal. That doesn't make you less of a human,' he said. Khalil was not accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. However the administration has said noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country for expressing views it considers to be antisemitic and 'pro-Hamas,' referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Khalil was released after U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz said it would be 'highly, highly unusual' for the government to continue detaining a legal resident who was unlikely to flee and had not been accused of any violence. The government filed notice Friday evening that it was appealing Khalil's release.
The Hill
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
LA journalists sue Noem over DHS response to unrest amid immigration raids
The Los Angeles Press Club and other journalists are suing Kristi Noem, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, for using 'Unnecessary and excessive violence to prevent them from exercising their First Amendment rights.' The lawsuit also accuses DHS of violating the Fourth Amendment prohibiting arbitrary arrests, and the Fifth amendment, which demands due process of law. 'Since June 6, at least seven members of our organization have been subject to use of force or suffered a serious press rights violation by DHS officers,' Adam Rose, press rights chair of the Los Angeles Press Club, said in a statement. 'Democracy depends on an informed public. An informed public depends on a press free to do its job without fearing violence by federal agents.' On June 6, protests erupted in Los Angeles while Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were conducting raids in the garment district rounding up undocumented immigrants. On June 8, President Trump sent in 1,700 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to help control the protests without California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) request or consultation. As protests grew, so did the violence. Some protesters were throwing rocks at law enforcement or burning vehicles. Law enforcement was shooting rubber bullets and using tear gas against protesters. The legal complaint reads, 'DHS agents did not target their assault towards people posing a threat in any way. Rather, they fired their weapons indiscriminately and at every angle in front of them in the direction of the gathered community, hitting people in the head with projectiles and choking them with tear gas. Some agents shot tear gas canisters and rubber bullets directly at people as they did this.' On June 18, Trump sent another 2,000 additional troops to the area. The DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The plaintiffs are arguing that the excessive use of force led to many journalists being unable or fearful of covering the protests, essentially limiting the amount of press coverage. 'What happened in LA isn't just a press crackdown, it's an assault on the rights of all Americans, especially working people,' said Jon Schleuss, president of NewsGuild-CWA in a statement. 'This state-sanctioned violence against journalists is meant to stop the public from learning the truth.' The lawsuit explains how multiple journalists were hurt in their encounters with DHS. Journalist Sean Beckner-Carmitchel was shot in the head with a rubber bullet and a tear gas canister by DHS agents on June 7, the complaint alleges. The same day, Ryanne Mena, who was wearing visible press credentials and working with the Southern California Newsgroup, was shot with a pepper ball and rubber bullet. This lawsuit was accompanied by a temporary restraining order meant to halt DHS' actions in LA by the weekend. The request was denied on Friday.
