President Trump is poised to sign an executive order this Wednesday that will direct all federal agencies to pinpoint civil and criminal measures to address antisemitism, including exploring the possibility of deporting individuals involved in anti-Jewish activities who have broken laws, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Under the order, heads of agencies and departments will be required to submit recommendations to the White House within 60 days. It also sets forth plans for the Department of Justice to investigate pro-Hamas graffiti and intimidation incidents, even on college campuses, as detailed in a document reviewed by The Post.
The executive order specifically targets the deportation of resident aliens, including foreign students with visas, who have engaged in unlawful activities linked to anti-Israel protests following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, which triggered the invasion of Gaza, as per the document obtained by The Post.
A report released last month by six Republican-controlled House committees called for the federal government to take stronger action against antisemitism, including attaching conditions to federal funding for colleges to ensure stricter anti-Jewish bias policies.
The report particularly highlighted Columbia University, which hosted a large demonstration that included numerous documented instances of anti-Jewish comments directed at both pro-Israel activists and Jewish students. The report also pointed out that colleges with allegedly lenient policies received $2.7 billion in federal funding during fiscal year 2023.
According to the House GOP report, the State Department and Department of Homeland Security under President Joe Biden had obstructed attempts to obtain records about the number of visa holders among those participating in the protests.
During his campaign, Trump called for the deportation of pro-Hamas students residing in the U.S. on visas, and just last week, he signed a different executive order that appeared to signal potential steps toward achieving this aim.
One section of that order emphasized the need for the U.S. to “ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States” do not “support designated foreign terrorists,” although the exact impact of this language was not immediately clear.
In December 2023, college presidents summoned to Congress famously avoided answering whether calling for the genocide of Jews would be considered punishable conduct during questioning by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), a nominee for U.N. ambassador under Trump. They defended their stance by citing free speech protections.
While hate speech is generally protected under U.S. law, the House GOP report argued that federal law prohibits discrimination among recipients of taxpayer funds, offering a means to compel stricter policies at these institutions.
The report also pointed out that non-citizens generally have fewer free speech protections under U.S. law. In the landmark 1972 case Kleindienst v. Mandel, the Supreme Court ruled that the government could deny a visa to a Belgian Marxist, and earlier cases affirmed the deportation of non-citizens who were anarchists or communists.
Some of the most prominent acts of activism in support of Hamas, which is responsible for the massacre of approximately 1,200 Jewish residents of southern Israel, occurred in Washington, D.C., where demonstrators carried banners backing the group as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before Congress in July.
Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, the 26-year-old president of the Richmond, Virginia chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, was arrested for allegedly scaling a monument near the Capitol and spray-painting the words “HAMAS IS COMIN.”
Trump’s efforts to combat antisemitism, which likely include withholding federal funds, come after his orders to temporarily freeze federal aid and delay the distribution of federal grants, the latter of which was halted by a federal judge on Tuesday.
During his first term, Trump also used the threat of cutting federal funds in response to the nationwide protests and riots following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd.
Trump directed the defunding of New York City, Portland, and Seattle for allegedly failing to control the unrest. He left office before these actions were finalized, although the Justice Department had already prepared the cities for the defunding process.
{Matzav.com}