Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Coalition Urges the Court to Uphold First Amendment Free Speech Protections in Opposition to Trump Administration’s Unconstitutional Ideological Deportation Policy

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 20 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief supporting The Stanford Daily – an independent student-run newspaper at Stanford University – in its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s “Ideological Deportation Policy.”

Raoul and the coalition filed their amicus brief in Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation v. Rubio in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Raoul and the coalition are supporting the paper in its challenge of the administration’s “Ideological Deportation Policy,” which targets and punishes noncitizens with lawful status, especially college students and faculty, on the basis of political speech with which the administration disagrees.

“This effort by the Trump administration to attack the rights of students is unconstitutional and goes against our country’s longstanding tradition of protecting free speech,” Raoul said. “I will continue to join with my fellow attorneys general to push back against the administration when the First Amendment is violated.”  

In January 2025, President Trump issued two executive orders (14161 and 14188), which laid the groundwork for the administration’s “Ideological Deportation Policy.” The orders direct federal agencies to investigate, detain and deport noncitizen students and faculty who engage in political speech with which the administration disagrees. In August, the Stanford Daily filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, explaining that as a result of the Ideological Deportation Policy, multiple international student journalists had declined assignments, removed their bylines or resigned entirely out of fear that their reporting could be used as grounds for deportation.

In their brief, Raoul and the coalition assert that the Trump administration’s unlawful use of ideology to arrest, detain and deport lawful noncitizen residents threatens the economic growth and stability of the coalition states, their ability to attract diverse talent from around the world, as well as the public health and safety of the states’ residents. The contributions of immigrant students and faculty go far beyond economics, enriching academic discourse, strengthening research capabilities and enhancing the global competitiveness of the coalition states.

Additionally, Raoul and the coalition argue that the Trump administration’s Ideological Deportation Policy is a direct violation of the First Amendment’s right to free speech.

Just two weeks ago, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts addressed the unlawful policy in American Association of University Professors, v. Rubio, ruling that First Amendment protections apply equally to citizens and lawfully present noncitizens.

Joining Raoul in filing the brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.