Students Young journalists fear online harassment and deportation under Trump

Student journalists are retracting their names from published articles, fearing legal repercussions, online harassment and professional consequences as the Trump administration targets students perceived to be associated with the pro-Palestinian movement.

- Anvee Bhutani

Editors at university newspapers say that anxiety among writers has risen since the arrest of the Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, who is in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention fighting efforts to deport her. While the government has not shown evidence supporting its decision to revoke her visa, she wrote an op-ed last year in a student newspaper critical of Israel, spurring fears that expressing a view in writing is now viewed as grounds for deportation.

Ozturk is one of nearly a dozen students or scholars seized by immigration officials since 8 March, when Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student and green card holder, was arrested and placed in deportation proceedings over his role in pro-Palestinian protests.

Student editors have reported greater anxiety among international students who have contributed to their newspapers, but say that requests to take down stories over fears of retaliation are coming from US citizens, too.