Defendants assert that orders are directed at pro-Palestinian views.
Tuesday, the first oral arguments for a lawsuit brought by two students and a Cornell University professor were heard by a federal judge over President Donald Trump’s most new executive orders squabbling down on hatred and multiculturalism.
The purchases, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs, allow the government to “target non-citizens for imprisonment because they espouse pro-Palestinian views,” according to an attorney for The College Fix.
The plaintiffs, including pro-Palestinian protesters Momodou Taal and Sriram Parasurama, accuse Professor Mkoma Wa Ngga of violating First and Fifth Amendment rights by putting a” cold effect” on free speech.
The lawsuit, filed by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, also asserts that the orders “raise major due process concerns under the Fifth Amendment by threatening severe penalties – such as imprisonment or criminal prosecution – based on vague, personal, and overbroad standards that grant unrestrained discretion to state officials.”
Attorney Maria Kari is working with the ADC and telling The Fix via phone interview that the orders “viewpoint restraint” are done under the pretext of national security and people buy concerns.
The ADC action claims that Trump’s first professional buy incorrectly qualifies any criticism of the United States government, its institutions, or American culture as “terrorism,” while the second order incorrectly qualifies criticism of Israel as “anti-Semitism.”
She said,” Those are the elements of the Canon that we’re looking to have an order against.”
The Constitution applies to you, including the First Amendment, if you’re within the bounds of this nation, according to Kari. In this situation, the question is then “how much do those privileges extend?”
She added,” You know what I said.
How far are they willing to take this, in our opinion, and what we believe is at concern right now has turned into a test case of sorts. Is there just dissent, or any perceived protest against the government from those in charge? They’ve already targeted green card holders and students on their way to a better life, and it’s a slippery slope that leads to people ‘ fundamental rights.
Kari also reported to The Fix that Taal ( pictured ) received a notification on March 21 that his student visa had been revoked. The ADC claimed in a courtroom filing that it also received an email from the Department of Justice requesting that Taal” sacrifice to ICE prison.”
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Following reports of law enforcement near his house, Taal’s lawyers filed an emergency action for a temporary restraining order to stop his probable imprisonment and imprisonment, The Cornell Daily Sun reported.
Judge Elizabeth Coombe” told the federal government to provide cause for why all this is happening and to better explain if the executive orders were the basis for asking Momodou to surrender himself to ICE,” Kari said in response to the court filing.
According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Ethan Kanter, a lawyer for the Department of Justice, the orders are internal policy directives meant to be put into effect legally and don’t directly target speech. They instead focus on illegal behavior, according to the Daily Sun.
According to CNN, the attorneys wrote in court filings that they” stripped of the underlying information and assessment provided by ICE that Taal had been involved with disruptive protests and had engaged in an escalating pattern of behavior, disregarding university policies, and creating a hostile environment for Jewish students.”
Additionally, Kanter claimed that Taal’s lawsuit has no standing because it doesn’t show a real injury, claiming that the orders ‘ fear of deportation and self-censorship don’t actually amount to any harm.
DOJ spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle stated to The Fix that” the department declines to comment on the pending litigation.”
Kanter argued that Taal’s case does not merit district court hearing. The Immigration and Nationality Act mandates that Taal’s claims be handled during removal proceedings in a federal court of appeals rather than a district level because his student visa was suspended prior to the lawsuit being filed.
Meanwhile, Eric Lee, the plaintiffs ‘ lead attorney, claimed that the orders forced Taal to practice self-censorship. He claimed that Taal began restraining from public speaking, joining protests, and speaking with colleagues after Trump issued the two executive orders.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, Taal had previously repeatedly praised and advocated for” the armed resistance in Palestine.”
Taal has called for the “end of the U.S. empire” in social media posts. He stated in a post on X last year that” the global system it reproduces knows no bounds” and that “hatred for US imperialism and knows no bounds.”
According to The College Fix, Taal has also organized disruptive protests that have resulted in two university suspensions.
MORE: Scholars: Trump “laying the groundwork” to” contain” minorities and immigrants
MOMOMODOU TaAL speaking during an interview for BreakThrough News/X.
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