Geneva, 17 March, 2025.- A group of independent human rights experts* have urged the United States Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cease repression and retaliation, including in the form of arbitrary detention of U.S. lawful permanent residents, and removal of international students who have participated in university protests in solidarity with Palestine.
“These actions are disproportionate, unnecessary, and discriminatory and will only lead to more trauma and polarisation negatively impacting the learning environment within university campuses,” the experts said, adding that “these actions create a chilling effect on the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and of association.”
We have been raising our concerns with the Government about the use of reprisals against students, faculty members, and citizens in general that have participated in pro-Palestine peaceful assemblies at universities.
“The world has been shaken by the human suffering that has marked the war in Gaza,” the experts said. “Students and faculty members on all sides have engaged in contrasting expressions of unitary solidarity and in the absence of bridging communication, the result has been in frustration and pain.”
“Instances of intimidation and harassment on social media and physical attacks effectively transformed campuses into divided communities and there is need for reconciliation, mutual respect, and entente,” the experts said.
“Further repression and retaliation, including revocation of visas and deportation will not promote peace within campuses because it is a disproportional policy that fails to recognise the vulnerability of the students and does not promote healing dialogue. The principle of academic freedom is fundamental for the maintenance of faculties and student bodies that can tackle critical issues for discussion without penalisation. Women students are particularly impacted, with such actions affecting the overall realisation of gender equality and non-discrimination.”
The experts noted that expulsion, deportation, and denial of the right to complete education courses/programmes and receive an academic degree are devastating for students, preventing them the right to a life’s project and from pursuing their future academic or professional aspirations.
“This type of action is more often associated with authoritarian institutions,” the experts said.
They stressed that universities must refrain from surveillance against students for participating in peaceful assemblies, and from sharing personal data of students with external actors, including the police and other law enforcement officials, and should review their internal regulations to align them to international human rights law standards.
The experts called for dialogue to create sustainable, peaceful campuses for all students and faculty.
“There is an urgent need to pursue mediation between students and faculty of different views in order to achieve a common understanding of shared feelings of harassment, discrimination, fear, pain, and isolation,” the experts said.
The experts called for good-faith efforts to consolidate university communities with compassion, constructive, open dialogue with mutual respect, and full enjoyment of human rights by all.