US Private Groups Track Student Protesters for Deportation

When a masked protester joined an anti-Israel rally in New York this January, she probably thought her identity was safe.

- Associated Press

NEW YORK: But within days, her uncovered photos, name, and workplace were circulating online.

A small tech startup bragged that its facial-recognition software had unmasked her despite the mask and headscarf. She wasn't alone. The same technology has been used to scan images from pro-Palestinian demonstrations at US universities, with right-wing Jewish groups compiling lists of foreign students they claim should be deported under former President Donald Trump's call to expel "pro-jihadist" protesters.

Some pro-Israel groups have even urged campus supporters to report foreign students involved in protests to immigration authorities, blurring the line between law enforcement and private activism.