Trump Demands Names, Nationalities Of Campus Protesters; Should Indian Students Be Concerned?

Last Updated:March 26, 2025, 22:29 IST

This move has sparked concerns that it could be used to deport foreign students amid a crackdown on illegal immigrants as well as student protesters in US colleges and universities

Students wait in long security lines outside Columbia University as demonstrators continue to rally in support of Palestine. (Image: SPENCER PLATT/Getty Images/AFP)

In a move that may impact Indian students in US colleges and universities, the Trump administration has demanded the names and nationalities of those involved in alleged antisemitic harassment and large-scale campus protests.

This move has sparked concerns that it could be used to deport foreign students amid a crackdown on illegal immigrants as well as student protesters in American colleges and universities. The Trump administration has warned of sanctions against 60 universities for allegedly failing to protect Jewish students, and many of these institutions have Indian students.

Indian students make up the largest group of international students in the US. As of 2023-2024, there are 3,31,602 Indian nationals enrolled in the country’s educational institutions.

The recent deportation cases of Ranjini Srinivasan from Columbia University and postdoctoral scholar Badar Khan Suri paint a stark picture. Srinivasan self-deported after her student visa was revoked while Suri is facing action for alleged links to Hamas.

WHAT IS THE USUAL PROCESS FOR CAMPUS INVESTIGATIONS?

According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal, legal experts said this move could be used as a “tip sheet" to deport foreign students. They said the focus on names and nationalities of students is concerning because it is different from their investigations into regular campus harassment.

“My first thought was, ‘This is a witch hunt’," an attorney told WSJ.

The report said Craig Trainor, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, defended the policy and called it was more of an assessment on how educational institutions were handling antisemitism cases.

The WSJ report further said the Education Department’s request followed a February 3 notice announcing investigations into antisemitic harassment at five universities: Columbia, Northwestern, Portland State, UC Berkeley, and University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Usually, during investigations federal attorneys request school policies, complaint records, and responses. But, this time they have also asked to include names, ethnicities, and nationalities of students flagged for potential violations – even those not convicted or found guilty of misconduct, the report said.

“There is no investigative reason for us to be asking for that information," a second attorney told WSJ. Some experts said this could violate civil rights laws, while others said a fair probe will need broader data.

Bridget A Blinn-Spears, an attorney who represents universities, told WSJ that collecting names likely serves an immigration or national security purpose. “The only reason to gather names is if there’s an intent to investigate them, take action, or possibly place them on a watch list for future enforcement," she was quoted. “If you’re compiling names, it’s because you plan to use them in some way later on."

WHERE DID IT ALL START?

Trump has targeted US universities that saw significant surges of protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that followed the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

Columbia University’s student movement was at the forefront of the protests. This led to Trump targeting the institution over student protests and alleged anti-Semitism from some demonstrators.

The President has cut $400 million in federal funding for Columbia – including research grants and other contracts – on the grounds that the institution has not adequately protected Jewish students from harassment.

The administration had demanded that the university deploys external oversight, but the school stopped short of that with its raft of measures instead vowing to engage with outside academics on the issue. In a recent letter sent to Columbia, the Trump administration gave the university one week to agree to a series of drastic reforms if it wants to open negotiations to recover the $400 million.

The letter demanded Columbia codify a definition of anti-Semitism that includes a focus on anti-Zionism, and insists the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies departments be put under “academic receivership."

Hence, on March 22, the university unveiled a package of policies in a bid to placate Trump. It announced “improvements to our disciplinary processes" as well as making it mandatory that protesters identify themselves when challenged – even if they wear masks, as many did during the height of the pro-Palestinian protests.

It also announced the expansion of its security team, including the hiring of 36 officers empowered to remove or arrest those that break the prestigious Ivy League university’s rules.

In the document titled ‘Advancing our work to combat discrimination, harassment and anti-Semitism at Columbia’, the university announced the creation of a new “Office of Institutional Equity" as well as updating its anti-discrimination and discriminatory harassment policy for students and groups.

“The University’s approach and relevant policies will incorporate the definition of antisemitism recommended by Columbia’s Antisemitism Taskforce in August 2024," the policy document said.

The private university announced a battery of disciplinary measures – including suspensions, temporary degree revocations and expulsions – aimed at student protesters who occupied a campus building last year.

(With AFP inputs)

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