By Staff, Agencies

A group of professors in the US has filed a lawsuit addressing the Trump administration's attempts to deport foreign students who express pro-Palestinian views.

They argued in the lawsuit on Monday that the Trump administration's policy has instilled a climate of fear on university campuses, compelling many students to remain silent or even leave the country.

The lawsuit has been initiated by the national American Association of University Professors, which represents academics from prestigious US institutions, including Harvard.

The plaintiffs argue that students are being unjustly singled out because of their beliefs, which they claim is illegal and unconstitutional, violating the free speech rights protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

The trial is set to take place in a Massachusetts federal court, where the government will be required to defend its controversial stance on deporting non-citizens for their political expressions for the first time.

This legal battle follows the arrest and detention of several non-citizen students and scholars who have vocally opposed the US-backed "Israeli" policies towards Palestinians.

In its defense, the US government asserts that the presence of pro-Palestinian individuals poses a national security threat.

However, critics have condemned these actions as “ideological deportation,” accusing the administration of suppressing political speech.

Despite the punitive measures applied by the Trump administration, pro-Palestinian students keep protesting in opposition to the "Israeli" genocidal war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Yale recently broke up a student protest camp, arresting 44 students and dispersing the demonstration within days.

Similarly, Tulane University has begun disciplinary proceedings, which could lead to suspension or expulsion, against seven students involved in an off-campus protest in New Orleans. The protest called for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian former Columbia student facing deportation from the US.

Since January, the Trump administration has been clamping down on students who show support and take part in pro-Palestinian protests