The Trump administration has confirmed its use of Canary Mission, a shadowy pro-Israel website, to identify pro-Palestine students for deportation. This revelation has sparked widespread anger and concern among rights advocates. According to court documents, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assembled a specialized group, dubbed a “tiger team,” to work on removing pro-Palestine college students from the country.
Peter Hatch, an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), testified that the team combed through nearly 5,000 profiles compiled by Canary Mission, which has been accused of publishing identifying information about activists while keeping its own staff anonymous. When asked if the team used a list from Canary Mission, Hatch replied, “Yes”. This admission has raised questions about the government’s reliance on a website that many consider a “hate group”.
Heba Gowayed, a sociology professor at the City University of New York (CUNY), condemned the government’s use of Canary Mission, calling it “absurd and fascist”. “Canary Mission is a doxxing website that specifically targets people for language that they deem to be pro-Palestinian and therefore, they’ve decided, is anti-Semitic. Its sole purpose is to target and harass people,” Gowayed said. She questioned the logic behind using such a website to determine who has the right to be present in the country.
The Trump administration’s campaign has already affected several students and academics. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student, became the first prominent victim of Trump’s campaign after Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a seldom-used provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act to order Khalil’s removal. Many others have been detained by immigration authorities, with some leaving the country voluntarily to avoid imprisonment.
Before the presidential elections, the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank, released a policy document titled Project Esther, designed to dismantle the Palestine solidarity movement in the US. Project Esther called for identifying students and professors critical of Israel who are in violation of their visas and cited Canary Mission extensively.
Palestine Legal, an advocacy group, accused the Trump administration of racism for relying on Canary Mission. “Under Trump, ICE has now publicly admitted they are abducting pro-Palestinian student activists based on an anonymously-run blacklist site,” Palestine Legal said. J Street, a group that describes itself as pro-Israel and pro-peace, also criticized the government’s use of the website, saying it’s about “silencing dissent”.
The Trump administration’s use of Canary Mission has sparked intense debate and outrage. Critics argue that the website is being used to target and harass pro-Palestinian activists, and that the government’s reliance on it is biased and sloppy. As the situation continues to unfold, many are left wondering about the implications for free speech and academic freedom in the US.