We Won Our Lawsuit to Defend the Rights of International Scholars—and All of Us!

Dear colleague,

We’re writing to you today with great news. Yesterday, a judge ruled in our favor in a landmark lawsuit against the Trump administration for violating free speech on college campuses.

In a case in which Rutgers AAUP-AFT was a plaintiff (along with the national American Association of University Professors, the Harvard and NYU AAUP chapters, and the Middle East Studies Association), a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s policy of arresting, detaining, and deporting noncitizen students and faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the First Amendment and is unconstitutional. Click here to read the judge’s powerful decision.

During a two-week trial in July, more than a dozen witnesses showed how the administration’s “ideological deportation” policy singled out noncitizens—such as Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the Columbia University encampment—for constitutionally protected pro-Palestinian advocacy. Trump administration officials were forced to acknowledge under oath a wealth of details about this attempt to intimidate and silence.

As the judge wrote in conclusion:

This Court finds as fact and concludes as matter of law that [Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio] and their several agents and subordinates acted in concert to misuse the sweeping powers of their respective offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their First Amendment protected political speech. They did so in order to strike fear into similarly situated non-citizen pro-Palestinian individuals, proactively (and effectively) curbing lawful pro-Palestinian speech and intentionally denying such individuals (including the plaintiffs here) the freedom of speech that is their right. Moreover, the effect of these targeted deportation proceedings continues unconstitutionally to chill freedom of speech to this day.

We’re very proud that our unions were part of a legal effort to defend the free speech rights of everyone in this country, whether their views are popular or not. And we want to thank the members who responded quickly to requests to participate when this case was being filed—especially noncitizen members, who took part despite facing possible consequences. Because of their efforts and our unions’ ongoing support for this lawsuit, the Trump White House’s lawless behavior has been further exposed.

Of course, we need to continue fighting—both in the courtroom and especially outside of it. The judge’s decision noted the consequences of “President Trump’s successes in limiting free speech—law firms cower, institutional leaders in higher education meekly appease the President, media outlets from huge conglomerates to small niche magazines mind the bottom line rather than the ethics of journalism.”

We agree. And we urge higher ed leaders at Rutgers and around the country to turn away from appeasement—and join with our unions in protecting the rights of everyone at our universities and defending our common commitment to academic freedom and free expression.

Support Free Speech at Rider University and Brooklyn College

The assault on our rights has hit close to home. Please join your voice with many others in demanding justice in these two cases:

  • An adjunct professor at Rider University in New Jersey was fired for a social media post that expressed, as they put it, “personal views about what’s happening in the world right now.” As the AAUP chapter at Rider wrote in a statement, “If they can fire an adjunct for what they say as a private citizen, they can fire any of us for what we say.” Click here to send a letter urging that Rider reinstate the professor and issue a public apology.
  • Four adjunct faculty members at Brooklyn College were fired for pro-Palestinian advocacy—“part of a broader assault on higher education that includes the Trump administration’s ideological suppression of scientific and academic inquiry,” the faculty and staff union PSC CUNY wrote. Click here to send a letter calling for the adjuncts’ immediate reinstatement.

In solidarity,
Rebecca Givan, President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Heather Pierce, President, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union
Carlos Decena, General Vice President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Hank Kalet, Vice President, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union
Miguel Rodriguez, Secretary-Treasurer, Rutgers AAUP-AFT
Howie Swerdloff, Secretary, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union
Bryan Sacks, Treasurer, Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union

Other Upcoming Events

Click here for a full calendar: https://rutgersaaup.org/events/

Postdoc Listening Sessions

Meetings for postdocs to ask any questions you have about Rutgers and get to know your union.

Department Rep/Union Involvement Info Session
Virtual meetings for any union member interested in taking on the role of department rep or another union role—come and ask questions of current reps about their experiences.

Town Hall Discussion on Artificial Intelligence
Come to this discussion to hear from union members working with the national AAUP to confront a critical issue facing higher education.

Health Care Town Hall
Learn about your health plan options as open enrollment begins for the State Health Benefits Program.