Executive Summary
- Judicial Rebuke: U.S. District Judge William G. Young ruled that the administration’s targeting of students for political speech was unconstitutional.
- Reliance on Blacklists: Court documents confirm DHS and ICE used the “Canary Mission” website to identify and investigate students.
- Specific Targeting: Students, including Rümeysa Öztürk, were arrested and processed for deportation shortly after appearing on third-party blacklists.
- Official Testimony: ICE officials testified that they were explicitly directed to use the website to compile background reports on students.
BOSTON — Unsealed federal court documents have confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), operating under the administration of President Trump, actively targeted, arrested, and sought to deport international students based on protected political speech. The records, released following an order by U.S. District Judge William G. Young, reveal that federal agencies relied on third-party online blacklists to identify and detain students expressing pro-Palestine views.
The unsealed filings indicate that government officials utilized “Canary Mission,” a private website that compiles profiles of pro-Palestine activists, to gather evidence against students. According to the court records, DHS and ICE did not independently verify the allegations found on the site before initiating deportation proceedings. Judge Young sharply rebuked the administration in his order, characterizing the government’s actions as an unconstitutional attempt to manipulate immigration laws to intimidate students and suppress dissent.
The documents detail the timeline of enforcement actions taken against students, including Rümeysa Öztürk. In March 2024, Öztürk co-authored a campus op-ed criticizing the Tufts University administration regarding student-led resolutions on the conflict in Gaza. Approximately one year later, a profile of Öztürk appeared on Canary Mission. According to the unsealed files, government officials compiled a report on her shortly thereafter, and on March 25, 2025, she was arrested by ICE officials. The records cite her participation in the op-ed as the primary cause for her removal proceedings, despite agencies noting no evidence of antisemitic activity.
During court hearings in July 2025, Peter Hatch, an ICE official within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), testified that his team was directed to utilize the Canary Mission website to vet students. Hatch stated that his unit compiled more than 100 reports from a list of 5,000 names. The unsealed files also link the deportations of other students, including Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, to information sourced from the website and social media accounts.
In his court order, Judge Young stated that Cabinet members, specifically referencing Secretary Noem and Secretary Rubio, along with their subordinates, “acted in concert to misuse the sweeping powers of their respective offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their First Amendment-protected political speech.” The Judge noted that these proceedings continue to chill freedom of speech.
Constitutional and Judicial Implications
The unsealing of these documents highlights a significant judicial intervention regarding the balance between executive immigration authority and First Amendment protections. Judge Young’s ruling suggests a legal precedent that establishing deportation proceedings solely on the basis of political speech—derived from unverified third-party sources—may violate constitutional due process. This case underscores the judiciary’s role in reviewing the evidentiary standards used by federal agencies when revoking the visa privileges of foreign nationals. While the individuals named in these documents faced administrative arrest and deportation proceedings, it is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
