Attorney General Tong Supports Challenge to Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Ideological Deportation Policy

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04/14/2025

Attorney General Tong Supports Challenge to Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Ideological Deportation Policy

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in American Association of University Professors, et al., v. Marco Rubio, et al. in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, supporting a challenge to the Trump Administration’s “Ideological Deportation Policy,” which targets and punishes noncitizens with lawful status, especially college students and faculty, who express political beliefs with which the Administration disagrees.

“This chilling policy pulls from some of the darkest authoritarian playbooks throughout history. We have already seen young international scholars—here 100 percent legally— captured from the streets of their college towns for daring to express views that our President disagrees with. These dangerous and lawless attacks on free speech and political expression will not end here unless the courts step in immediately and forcefully to protect our freedom,” said Attorney General Tong.

In filing the amicus brief, the coalition urges the court to block the Administration’s policy, arguing that it violates the First Amendment and irreparably harms colleges and universities, public health and safety, and freedom of religious worship.

The Administration’s “Ideological Deportation Policy” is based on two Executive Orders (14161 and 14188). These orders direct federal agencies to vet foreign nationals seeking to enter the U.S. based on ideological grounds rather than on direct safety threats. These orders further direct federal agencies to investigate, detain, and deport noncitizen students and faculty who engage in political speech with which the Administration disagrees.

The Administration has revoked more than 700 visas of noncitizen students, visitors, and residents, including many revocations based on protected expression. The removal of lawful immigration status leaves such individuals vulnerable to arrest, detention, and deportation.

Notably, on March 25, 2025, the policy resulted in the arrest and detainment of Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk, whose immigration status was revoked without her knowledge.

In their brief, the coalition argues that the policy inflicts harm to educational institutions, where free expression of political speech must be protected to allow students to learn from and engage with diverse viewpoints. Due to the breadth and ambiguity of what speech the Administration deems prohibited, the coalition argues the policy will lead noncitizen residents to limit and censor their political and religious expression, research, and academic conclusions. Moreover, as a result of the Administration’s policy, some colleges and universities have already witnessed significant drops in applications and prospective enrollment of international students for the 2025-2026 school year.

The coalition also describes how the Administration’s policy will harm public safety and public health. Due to the fear of deportation caused by the policy, noncitizens could avoid cooperating with law enforcement and reporting crime. Additionally, the policy will harm public health, as the coalition states heavily depend on noncitizen healthcare workers. In fact, over one million immigrants work in healthcare nationwide, including 40% of home health aides.

As noncitizen residents contribute substantially to the economic, cultural, and intellectual vitality of the coalition states, the coalition urges the court to block the policy, especially due to the policy’s irreparable harm to the states and public interest.

The coalition’s amicus brief may be viewed in its entirety here.

The amicus brief was co-led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and Washington Attorney General Nicholas Brown. The amicus brief was also joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island, and Vermont.

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