Dear Friend,

It has been hard to reach out with good news lately, but I write today about an incredible ruling protecting pro-Palestinian advocacy—and our First Amendment.

A federal judge ruled today that the Trump Administration’s practice of targeting noncitizen students and faculty with arrest, detention, and deportation because of their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the First Amendment and is therefore unconstitutional. This decision is a historic win for free speech, academic freedom, and our community.

In a 161-page opinion, Judge William Young found that the government cannot deport people solely because of their viewpoints. The ruling declared Trump’s policy “arbitrary and capricious,” recognizing it as an ideological deportation scheme that forced students and professors into silence. The plaintiffs — the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the incredible Middle East Studies Association (MESA)— showed how members changed syllabi, deleted writings, and avoided public debate out of fear.

Given how we have been on the frontline of fighting for constitutional-protected freedoms to advocate for what we believe is right, even when the content of that speech is deemed undesirable, unpopular, or even maligned as hateful, Judge Young’s landmark ruling includes multiple references to cases involving Arab Americans fighting for free speech. The opinion cites several cases previously brought by our friends at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee as well as a 1984 case brought by late Senator James Abourezk. Judge Young references the contemporary testimonies of Barnard College and Columbia University Professor Nadia Abu El-Haj and Brown University Professor Nadje Al-Ali. The case spotlights students like Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested and nearly deported simply for speaking out for Palestinian rights. As you know, Mahmoud’s story became a symbol of the chilling effect this policy had across campuses.

These incredible Arab Americans are part of this ruling because Arab Americans have been at the center of the fight to protect constitutional rights in the face of political suppression. As we always have, we will continue our advocacy for Palestinian human rights and to fight all attempts to silence us. And like Judge Young noted in his ruling, the Trump Administration’s false claim of fighting antisemitism to silence criticism of Israel and shutdown pro-Palestinian voices is a "full-throated assault on the First Amendment across the board under the cover of an unconstitutionally broad definition of Anti-Semitism."

Finally, today’s victory doesn’t stand alone. Just weeks ago, another federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration used antisemitism as a smokescreen to strip Harvard of billions in federal funding, punishing the university for allowing campus protest.

This moment is bigger than one case or one campus. It is about defending the right of all people, regardless of citizenship or status, to speak freely, to protest injustice, and to teach and learn without fear of government retaliation. It is about rejecting the dangerous precedent of labeling dissent as hate in order to shut down movements for justice. And it’s about Arab Americans leading the fight to protect our First Amendment as we speak with moral clarity about Palestine.

Our strength lies in standing together to ensure that no one is silenced for speaking truth.

Thank you for being part of this work. Together, we will continue to stand for Palestine, push back against authoritarian tactics, and defend the freedoms that make our advocacy possible.

In solidarity,

Maya

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