From his current home in Saudi Arabia, Faisal Ahmed recalled his introduction to activism in October 2023, participating in boycotts against the Boston University administration and attending citywide protests.
The 23-year-old, who graduated from BU last year after studying economics, was formerly involved in BU Students for Justice in Palestine, where many of his peers were international students and reluctant to involve themselves in the issue publicly.
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WATCH HEREAhmed, passionate about advocating and taking action for the Free Palestine movement, was frustrated when his international student peers refused to join him at public protests.
“I was mad at them. I was like, ‘Do you really think this is gonna happen to you? This is America. Come on,’” said Ahmed. “And you know, I feel like an idiot, frankly saying something like that to them now.”
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SIGN UP An uptick in activism struck during the heightened Israel-Palestine conflict in October 2023, with university students at the frontlines calling out school administrations and the federal government.
International students were among these activists, many unknowingly risking their ability to remain in the United States.
Ten days after the inauguration of his second term, President Donald Trump passed an executive order with the intention of combating antisemitism on college campuses. In a subsequent fact sheet, the president increasingly focused on international students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, describing them as “resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests”.
The executive order warned that non-citizens could be deported or have their visas cancelled. Weeks later, the administration began enforcing the outlined penalties.
On March 25, Tufts University Ph.D. student Rümeysa Öztürk was arrested in Somerville by a group of masked ICE officers, according to the university and her lawyer.
Ozturk, originally from Turkey, co-authored an op-ed in her university’s newspaper last year that described Israel’s actions as genocide and rejected Tufts’ response to the conflict.
Her arrest, in addition to the detainment of several other international students across the country, has raised questions about the First Amendment and its application to non-citizens.
NBC10 Boston teamed up with journalism students at Boston University’s College of Communications, who are taking an in-depth class taught by NBC10 Investigator Ryan Kath. We took a closer look at the current climate on college campuses and the impact immigration policies could have on the international student population.
Jeremy Paul, constitutional law professor at Northeastern University, gave his insight about the First Amendment being challenged in today’s political climate.
“The language of the Constitution is clear. It does not apply to citizens. It applies to persons,” said Paul. “So unless you think people who are here in various immigration statuses are not persons, which is not a very likely thing to believe, the First Amendment and free speech applies to everyone.”
The sudden ambiguity about America’s most inherent freedom and constitutional protection has raised serious concerns among both vulnerable students and perplexed legal experts.
“Strong countries allow dissent and encourage people to express their point of view. If someone crosses the line from expression to unlawful conduct, that's a whole different matter. But the current administration is going way beyond that,” said Paul.
Student visas were being revoked from international students at universities and colleges across Massachusetts. School administrations have monitored the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information (SEVIS) regularly to track student visa information because federal officials terminated student visa records without notification.
In late April, the Trump administration reversed course and said hundreds of international students would have their legal status restored.
Immigration attorney Giselle Rodriguez said students should be aware of what actions could affect a more permanent legal status in the future.
“So knowing your rights, understanding that if you are in a public space, in a protest, you may be reported. You know, be careful with what you post online. All these things matter now more than ever,” said Rodriguez.
Despite escalating fears on campus, not all students are submitting to silence and some continue to voice their support for the people of Palestine. Student and faculty organizations at Boston University, Northeastern, and Harvard have organized protests amid the potential ramifications.
At recent demonstrations, the majority of participants disguised their identities using masks, hats, sunglasses and scarves— a precautionary measure that was previously used, but has only become more popular in light of recent arrests.
The atmosphere at these protests has also become increasingly tense as participants fear backlash from law enforcement, university administration and opposition groups.
At a walkout organized by Boston University’s Students for Justice in Palestine on March 28, masked protesters informed student journalists they could not photograph faces and were only permitted to take pictures for five minutes.
Not all students feel that international activism should be protected. Alpha Barry, a sophomore business and economics major at BU and president of the conservative student group Young Americans for Freedom, said he believes the recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations have revealed a deeper cultural divide.
Barry said the values behind the protests are incompatible with American ideals.
While the First Amendment protects free speech, he believes that protection has limits, particularly for non-citizens expressing extremist views.
“We don’t want people like this, who have such un-American views, becoming American,” Barry said. “Being an American is more than saying what you want to say. It’s about having ideas of freedom, which I don’t think these groups support.”
Barry also rejected what he described as “fear-mongering” by Boston University and the media regarding immigration enforcement. He said concerns about random ICE detentions are exaggerated and misleading.
“They’re really targeting pro-terrorist groups, which I think they should be. And I think any other country would be doing the same.”
On April 3, a BU Law student, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was approached by a plainclothes federal officer asking if he knew a student. The officer identified himself as a DHS officer in the BU School of Law lobby and claimed he was performing a background check on a student, the BU law student said.
BU Student Affairs sent out an email on the same day to its law students, addressing concerns of federal law enforcement in the building.
“Our current understanding is that the officer was conducting a routine background check related to the alum’s recent employment as part of a standard procedure,” the email said. “However, it does not appear that proper guidelines and processes surrounding background checks were followed.”
Mirka Martel, head of research, Evaluation and Learning at the Institute of International Education, put the number of international students in the United States into perspective.
There were 1.1 million international students in the United States in the 2024-2025 academic year, and over 82,000 international students in Massachusetts, an increase from the previous year, according to Martel.
The removal of international students in Boston could have widespread impacts. In just the last year, international students contributed over $3.9 billion to the Massachusetts economy, said Martel.
“There is a huge economic impact and it is perhaps important not to understate the cultural and global impact that these students have,” Martel said. “They're bringing their innovation, they're bringing their knowledge and intelligence to these universities to ensure that they maintain their level of innovation and the level of kind of science and you know, the contributions that they have that are well beyond the dollars and cents.”
Paul, the Northeastern Law professor, acknowledged that international students may reevaluate enrolling in U.S. universities.
“International students are going start thinking about other countries where they might pursue their education, which is crippling to our universities, many of whom benefit enormously from the presence and research that's done by international students,” said Paul. “We want to be a multicultural, multinational university. All of us want that.”
Yet the implications extend beyond economic figures and institutional prestige. The deportation and arrest of international students exercising their First Amendment rights have perverted constitutional protections, said Paul
“There's never been an administration that broke so many laws, and I think it's really important for people to understand that,” he said.
The recent actions represent hypervigilance on those with student visas as a means “to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence,” according to President Trump’s executive order.
Ahmed, the former BU student and campus activist, reflected on the fear among the international student community and the country's contradictory values.
“It's a very visceral feeling that somebody you know, love, or care about just disappears. And without rhyme or reason,” said Ahmed. “Like this is exactly why people come to America, like this is the whole point of the country.”
The story was reported by Costalas and Vivas and edited by Kath
