San Jose, California — A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration violated the Constitution by using immigration laws to revoke visas and pursue deportation of noncitizen students based on protected pro-Palestinian speech.
U.S. District Judge Noel Wise found that provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act were unconstitutional when applied to people targeted because of their political expression. The case was brought by The Stanford Daily and a student visa holder who argued that the administration’s policies chilled reporting and advocacy on Israel and Gaza.
The lawsuit followed a series of visa revocations and arrests beginning in March 2025. The administration relied on laws allowing the secretary of state to revoke visas and deem noncitizens deportable when their presence was considered harmful to U.S. foreign policy interests.
Wise wrote that when speech itself becomes the basis for deportation, the government is discriminating based on viewpoint or content. She said First Amendment protections extend to noncitizens present in the United States.
The Stanford Daily said more than 150 staff members had declined assignments involving protests or Gaza because they feared immigration consequences.
The ruling echoes a 2025 decision by another federal judge who found similar Trump administration policies unconstitutional. The State Department and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment on Friday’s ruling.
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