Homeland Security Agents Testify on Trump-Era Pro-Palestinian Academic Arrests

Four veteran Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents testified in a Boston trial that the Trump administration issued highly unusual and urgent orders to arrest pro-Palestinian foreign academics, marking a shift in immigration enforcement from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to HSI. These arrests targeted non-citizens based on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s determinations that their presence harmed U.S. foreign policy interests, with agents expressing surprise and legal concern over the orders. Agents involved, including Darren McCormack and Brian Cunningham, described significant high-level involvement and scrutiny, with some seeking legal counsel to confirm the legitimacy of the directives. The lawsuit alleges that this constitutes an ideological deportation policy that violates the First Amendment by targeting individuals for their political beliefs, a claim supported by federal judges who ordered the release of the detained academics. The government, however, argued the arrests were due to immigration status changes, not political speech, while agents testified that their arrests followed standard HSI procedures, including the use of handcuffs and plainclothes officers. This case highlights tensions over free speech rights, immigration enforcement jurisdiction, and the politicization of visa cancellations under the Trump administration.