President Donald Trump has enacted an executive order enabling the deportation of foreign students and other non-citizens from the US for expressing support for organizations that the US government has designated as terrorist groups.
According to a key section in the order released by the new administration: "To protect Americans, the United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those aliens approved for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans or our national interests. More importantly, the United States must identify them before their admission or entry into the United States.
"The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security," the document stated.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to pursue the deportation of foreign students participating in campus unrest and anti-Israel demonstrations who express solidarity with Hamas and Hezbollah, both organizations designated as terrorist groups by Washington.
In related developments, Trump announced via his social media platform the dismissal of four senior officials previously appointed by former President Joe Biden. The dismissals included Mike Milley from the Advisory Council on Infrastructure and Brian Hook from his position as head of the Wilson Center for Higher Education.
Furthermore, Trump extended presidential pardons to nearly all individuals involved in the Capitol building attack following the 2020 elections. A single attacker declined the pardon offer, stating he had committed a crime and felt remorse for his actions.
