Stanford student newspaper sues Trump because some of the writers fear deportation

The Trump administration has been hit with a lawsuit from two anonymous plaintiffs regarding the current state of the Stanford University student newspaper.

Their complaint? That some of The Stanford Daily writers who have come to the United States on visas have felt obligated to “self-censor” out of fear of deportation. They are further alleging that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s immigration enforcement has made students afraid to speak out.

Because apparently enforcing currently existing federal laws is real spooky.

“Secretary Rubio and the Trump administration’s war against noncitizens’ freedom of speech is intended to send an unmistakable message: Watch what you say, or you could be next,” the complaint says. “Message received.”

As evidence of the chilling effect of federal immigration law enforcement, the newspaper says “its writers present on student visas have declined assignments tied to Israel’s war in Gaza, including coverage of campus protests, worried that reporting on the conflict could endanger their legal status,” The Hill reports.

“Some writers have sought removal of previous articles about the conflict, as well.”

The plaintiffs themselves claim that they have opted to self-censor views that could be construed as potentially “anti-American” or “anti-Israel” out of concern that they may be investigated for deportation by the government.

“One of the plaintiffs, listed as Jane Doe, has published pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel commentary and is named on Canary Mission, an anonymously run, pro-Israel website that the administration has used to find students to target for deportation. She has since ceased sharing her opinions on the war,” the report continues. “The other plaintiff, whom the complaint lists as John Doe, attended a pro-Palestine protest at his university after Palestinian militant group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, and published commentary against Israel. Though he initially self-censored by withholding publication of a study related to Gaza, he has since resumed his journalism and advocacy.”

“There’s real fear on campus and it reaches into the newsroom,” said Stanford Daily editor-in-chief Greta Reich. “The Daily is losing the voices of a significant portion of our student population.”

They believe that this is a First Amendment issue, and are framing their complaint as such.

“The First Amendment cements America’s promise that the government may not subject a speaker to disfavored treatment because those in power do not like his or her message. And when a federal statute collides with First Amendment rights, the Constitution prevails.”