Congressional Request for Thousands of Private Records of Pro-Palestinian Students at Columbia University Must Be Denied

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Congressional Request for Thousands of Private Records of Pro-Palestinian Students at Columbia University Must Be Denied

Palestine Legal today announced the filing of a "friend of the court" brief in the lawsuit filed by detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and other Columbia students against the Committee on Education and Workforce and the Trump Administration. The brief argues that the Congressional request for thousands of pages of private student records is a clear attempt to suppress First Amendment-protected speech supporting Palestinian rights, which is neither their role nor within their power.

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Civil Rights Orgs: Columbia's Pro-Palestinian Encampment was a Lawful Expression of Protest Against Israel’s Genocide

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Civil Rights Orgs: Columbia's Pro-Palestinian Encampment was a Lawful Expression of Protest Against Israel’s Genocide

Civil rights groups Palestine Legal and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) today announced the filing of a "friend of the court" brief in the lawsuit against the Trump administration's abrupt cancellation of $400 million in critical federal research funding for Columbia University.

The civil rights groups' amicus brief argues that pro-Palestinian encampments and other speech activity critical of Israel's ongoing genocide is protected under the First Amendment and does not violate federal civil rights laws.

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Trump's Supercharged Attacks on Student Activism for Palestine Follows 50% Increase in Suppression Last Year

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Trump's Supercharged Attacks on Student Activism for Palestine Follows 50% Increase in Suppression Last Year

Palestine Legal, a legal aid organization supporting the movement for Palestinian freedom in the U.S., received over 2,000 requests for legal support last year, a 55% increase from 2023, and a 600% increase from 2022. About two-thirds of reports of people targeted for their Palestine-related advocacy that Palestine Legal received in 2024 were campus-related, including over 100 reports at K-12 institutions.

The report comes as the Trump administration threatens and implements sweeping actions against Palestine protestors on college campuses, including deportations, federal investigations, and withholding hundreds of millions in funding from universities.

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Legal Resources for Activists Advocating for Palestine Across the U.S.

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Legal Resources for Activists Advocating for Palestine Across the U.S.

Palestine Legal has been receiving an unprecedented surge in requests for legal support as the Trump administration escalates its repression of the movement for justice in Palestine — with many of the same tools that it inherited from the Biden administration and its unwavering support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Activists and community members have been doxxed, investigated, censored, questioned, fired, jailed, and even assaulted simply because of their views, while government officials appear to be mobilizing law enforcement resources against them for their speech activities.

While we work to respond to these requests, these guides and contacts from Palestine Legal and partner organizations will help you assess risks, protect yourself and others, and reduce harm from repression.

While we work to respond to these requests, here are resources to prepare for and resist backlash against your activism, including contact information for other organizations responding to this unprecedented backlash.

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Media Round-Up: Palestine Legal on Trump's attacks on the student movement and higher education since taking office

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Media Round-Up: Palestine Legal on Trump's attacks on the student movement and higher education since taking office

With reports that the incoming Trump administration is plotting a crackdown on pro-Palestine protests, ranging from federal prosecution of campus demonstrators to deporting international student protesters, several media outlets have reached out to Palestine Legal for comment.

Here is a media roundup of the top 7 stories featuring Palestine Legal’s commentary about the Trump administration’s recent repression from outlets including The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Hill, Democracy Now!, and Columbia Spectator.

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Dima Khalidi in The Nation: Mahmoud Khalil’s Abduction Is a Red Alert for Universities

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Dima Khalidi in The Nation: Mahmoud Khalil’s Abduction Is a Red Alert for Universities

Palestine Legal Director Dima Khalidi argues that universities’ complete surrender to Trump’s threats and ever-harsher crackdowns on the student movement “will not release them from the administration’s crosshairs. (Columbia has learned that lesson 400 million times over).” Schools across America have a choice: Defend their students against Trump or be complicit in his crimes.

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Palestine Legal Condemns Unlawful DHS Detention of Columbia Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil, Demands Schools Refuse to Collaborate with ICE

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Palestine Legal Condemns Unlawful DHS Detention of Columbia Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil, Demands Schools Refuse to Collaborate with ICE

"Abducting and detaining students over their political ideology represents a significant escalation in the McCarthyite attacks on the student movement for Palestinian liberation.”

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