Golden State Today

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general to challenge the Trump Administration's executive orders that allow for the revocation of visas for students and faculty who exercise their free speech rights. The orders have led to the revocation, arrest, detention, and potential removal of hundreds of visa-holding students for expressing views contrary to those of the Trump Administration. Almost 100 students across the California State University system, University of California campuses, and Stanford University have been affected.

"Students across the country are being aggressively targeted without notice and for no clear reason beyond the President’s political agenda, creating a culture of fear and disrupting our institutions of higher education," stated Attorney General Bonta. He emphasized the need for the court to halt the policy rapidly to prevent further harm, saying, "The unjustified and unconstitutional revocation of student visas for expressing their opinions sends a stunning message to campuses across the nation: fall in line or face deportation."

The Trump Administration's policy, known as the "Ideological Deportation Policy," is based on Executive Orders 14161 and 14188. These orders instruct federal agencies to vet and potentially deport foreign nationals based on ideological grounds.

In the 2023-2024 academic year, the states involved in the brief hosted over 640,000 international students who supported more than 235,000 jobs, contributing approximately $27.5 billion annually in tuition and living expenses. The coalition argues that the policy causes irreparable harm and violates the First Amendment rights extended to noncitizen residents.

Attorney General Bonta, committed to defending the rights of California's residents, has a history of supporting legal immigration pathways and opposing policies that threaten immigrants' rights. This amicus brief is one of many actions Bonta has taken against the Trump Administration’s policies, reinforcing his commitment to uphold the rule of law.

The multistate coalition seeking to file the brief includes the attorneys general of Massachusetts, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. A copy of the brief is available.