Trump officials fire back after federal judge labels POTUS ‘authoritarian’ over deportation drive
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: The White House fired back after a federal judge accused President Donald Trump of acting like an authoritarian over his administration’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian protesters.
Judge William G Young said Trump and senior cabinet officials intentionally targeted certain demonstrators to intimidate others into silence, comparing the president’s actions to those of a leader who demands total obedience.
Trump administration pushes back on judge’s remarks
The White House strongly rejected the judge’s remarks. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital that it is “bizarre that this judge is broadcasting his intent to engage in left-wing activism against the democratically elected President of the United States." A senior Department of Homeland Security official also criticized the Boston-based judge.
Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, responded in a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday. “There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” she said.
Lawyers for the administration said the actions were part of their effort to fight antisemitism, including on college campuses. They also argued that the individuals involved were “pro-Hamas.”
Judge takes aim at Trump
US District Judge William G Young took aim at Trump during a remedies hearing in Boston on Thursday, January 15.
Young accused Trump of acting “illegally” and “intentionally” by targeting noncitizen pro-Palestinian academic protesters on college campuses.
Young said, “I find it breathtaking that I have been compelled on the evidence to find the conduct of such high-level officers of our government — cabinet secretaries — conspired to infringe the First Amendment rights of people with such rights here in the United States. These cabinet secretaries have failed in their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution.”
Young shared, “We cast around the word ‘authoritarian.' I don’t, in this context, treat that in a pejorative sense — and I use it carefully — but it’s fairly clear that this president believes, as an authoritarian, that when he speaks, everyone, everyone in Article II is going to toe the line absolutely."
Judge Young discusses framework of order he plans to complete
During the remainder of the hearing, Young explained the basic framework of an order he plans to complete and release next week.
The order will spell out when administration officials are allowed to change the immigration status of the affected academic groups. He also said he intends to release much of the evidence used in the case, even though the administration asked the court to keep those materials sealed.
Young said Trump and his top advisers have taken a “fearful approach” to free speech that seeks to “exclude from participation everyone who doesn’t agree with them.”
He noted that in September, he ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association, and found that the Trump administration violated the First Amendment.
At the time, Young said Trump’s “palpable misunderstanding that the government simply cannot seek retribution for speech he disdains poses a great threat to Americans’ freedom of speech.” He added, “It is at this juncture that the judiciary has robustly rebuffed the president and his administration.”
Despite his criticism, Young said on Thursday that he will issue a more limited order than what the students’ lawyers requested and will not grant the broad injunction they sought.
