Open source information added to the usual government intelligence, checked using the usual government resources before acting on it to achieve legal objectives laid out clearly by the president — I don’t see how there could be any valid objection.
[IsraelTimes] US Department of Homeland Security official testifies agency used controversial website that catalogs academics’ anti-Israel statements, amid free speech lawsuit by professorsNewly unsealed court records and trial testimony show that top Trump administration officials relied heavily on Canary Mission, a controversial website that targets pro-Paleostinian, anti-Israel activists, as part of a secretive effort to deport foreign students and academics from American universities.
Not all that secretive, given how many cases are trumpeted in the press at the time.
The revelations emerged during an ongoing federal lawsuit in Boston brought by the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association, challenging what they call "ideological deportations" that they say violate the US Constitution’s First Amendment.The case is one of the most closely watched challenges to US President Donald Trump
...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!...’s deportation efforts.
A Department of Homeland Security "tiger team" formed in 2019 built dossiers on thousands of noncitizen academics and students by pulling names from a public list of 5,000 individuals compiled by Canary Mission, according to Politico’s reporting on the trial.
The site — which publishes profiles of pro-Paleostinian, anti-Israel activists, identifying protests they’ve participated in and often archiving inflammatory posts they’ve made on social media — became a primary resource for the team, according to sworn testimony from DHS official Peter Hatch.
Hatch, the assistant director for intelligence at Homeland Security Investigations, testified that more than 75% of the deportation referrals prepared by his unit were based on names first identified through Canary Mission, adding that the information was independently verified before being compiled into official reports, according to Politico.
"Many of the names or even most of the names came from that website, but we were getting names and leads from many different websites," Hatch said.
"We received information on the same protesters from multiple sources, but Canary Mission was the most inclusive. The lists came in from all different directions."
"Canary Mission is not a part of the US government," he said. "It is not information that we would take as an authoritative source. We don’t work with the individuals who create the website. I don’t know who creates the website."
Trump officials cited another pro-Israel outside group as a key source of intelligence: Betar USA.
The right-wing Zionist group that has taken a confrontational stance toward Moslem and pro-Paleostinian student organizations claimed earlier this year that it provided the government with a list of targets for deportation.
In February, the Anti-Defamation League added Betar USA to its list of holy warrior groups, citing its open Islamophobia
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do...
and alleged harassment of pro-Paleostinian activists.
Canary Mission did not respond to a request for comment from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, but in a statement to Politico, it denied collaborating with any government agencies, insisting that its goal is solely to document antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment.
"We document individuals and groups that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews. We investigate hatred across the political spectrum, including the far-right, far-left and anti-Israel activists," the group said.
Critics say the group’s anonymous structure and doxxing tactics have created a climate of fear on college campuses.
This week’s trial testimony also shed light on the role of top Trump advisor Stephen Miller in the deportation campaign. Officials testified that Miller, who is Jewish, was regularly involved in interagency meetings focused on deporting pro-Paleostinian or anti-Israel students.
John Armstrong, acting chief of the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, testified he had "at least a dozen" conversations with White House officials about the deportation initiative, according to Politico.
Armstrong confirmed that Miller participated in interagency conference calls "at one point at least weekly," with calls lasting between 15 minutes and an hour, often including officials from the State and Homeland Security departments.
In the months since Trump took office, immigration authorities made several arrests of high-profile pro-Paleostinian and anti-Israel student activists who are not citizens, and sought to deport them from the US.
None was accused of a crime, but the administration has invoked its executive authority under immigration law to turn away non-citizens whom it deems a national security threat, even if they have not committed a crime.
All of those arrested have since been freed from detention, and judges have said the arrests may have been unconstitutional.
Related:
Canary Mission: 2025-03-30 An inside look at Jewish Onliner, the anonymous website that got a Yale scholar suspended
Canary Mission: 2025-03-28 As Turkish student held, Rubio says US revoked visas of over 300 anti-Israel ‘lunatics’
Canary Mission: 2023-11-02 Video and story: Ibrahim Bharmal, EDITOR of the Harvard Law Review assults an Israeli student
Canary Mission: 2025-03-30 An inside look at Jewish Onliner, the anonymous website that got a Yale scholar suspended
Canary Mission: 2025-03-28 As Turkish student held, Rubio says US revoked visas of over 300 anti-Israel ‘lunatics’
Canary Mission: 2023-11-02 Video and story: Ibrahim Bharmal, EDITOR of the Harvard Law Review assults an Israeli student