Homeland Security Detains Tufts University Student for Supporting Hamas
TownhallMAR 21
ICE Detains Two Foreign PhD Students in Immigration Sweep
Above: Students walk near Tufts University's campus in Medford, Mass., on March 26, 2025. Image copyright: Lane Turner/Contributor/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
The Trump administration is taking necessary action to protect national security and maintain order on college campuses. These foreign students, who received the honor of coming to the U.S. to study, have abused their visa privileges by engaging in violent anti-American movements that undermine US safety and foreign policy. Foreign students must remember that they're guests in the country and should behave accordingly.
Democratic narrative
These arrests represent a blatant and unconstitutional assault on academic freedom and free speech rights. The Trump administration is using immigration enforcement as a tool to intimidate and silence international students who peacefully — not violently — expressed political views critical of U.S. foreign policy. The White House knows this, which is why they've provided zero evidence of any actual security threats.