From Campus to Congress: How the U.S. is silencing Pro-Palestinian voices

The U.S. government has introduced so many new restrictions and problems for colleges and universities that keeping track of them is difficult.

Behind these actions—from slashing research funding to detaining foreign students active in various fields—lies a clear policy: silencing criticism of the Israeli regime.

Washington, which has long prioritized support for Israel and pro-Israel groups in the U.S., is now using laws originally designed for other purposes to suppress protests against the occupying regime.

According to The Atlantic, the U.S. government has justified its actions under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—a federal law that prohibits discrimination in colleges and universities based on race, color, or national origin.

However, proper enforcement of Title VI requires an investigation, attempts at negotiation for a resolution, formal hearings, and 30 days’ notice to Congress before even a single dollar of funding can be withheld from an institution.

The U.S. government took none of these steps before announcing its intended actions—showing that Washington is simply using anti-discrimination laws as a pretext to suppress dissent.

This is one of many reasons experts view these actions as blatant violations of the U.S. Constitution.

The Al-Majalla news outlet also published a report titled “Campus Uproar: Trump Tramples Academic Freedoms,” noting that experts now warn of an unprecedented crisis threatening the future of scientific research in the U.S.

Universities argue that the real goal behind funding cuts and restrictions on foreign student admissions is political censorship and weakening the established independence of American academic institutions.

American universities have long been considered bastions of free thought and critical thinking—but are now hostage to the narrow political interests of the U.S. government.

The report emphasized that the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive stance toward certain universities stems from campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza that began in late 2023—protests that the U.S. has baselessly described as manifestations of anti-Semitism.

Under the banner of protecting Jewish students’ rights, the Trump administration accused universities of failing to address harassment and hostility against Jewish students during anti-war protests—thus framing the situation as a federal civil rights violation.

Alison Frank Johnson, a Harvard professor, warned that her university is merely a test case for a broader Trump-led crackdown on academic freedom.

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, recently instructed all U.S. embassies and consulates to stop scheduling new visa interviews for foreign students. He stated that the U.S. government is preparing to expand social media screening and background checks.

It remains unclear what the additional screenings will include, but according to Politico, documents indicate that activities deemed “anti-Semitic” could be targeted.

The report suggests that current social media monitoring protocols are already focusing on students participating in pro-Palestinian protests.

According to the Institute of International Education, more than 1.1 million foreign students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities during the 2023–2024 academic year.

This is yet another example of how the U.S. government seeks to serve the interests of the Israeli regime—an effort whose sole purpose is to suppress criticism of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. It directly contradicts the U.S.’s long-standing claim of being a champion of free speech.