Dear Reader,
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, The Argus signed on to an amicus brief in support of the Stanford Daily’s lawsuit alleging that the U.S. State Department has used provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to illegally repress international students’ protected speech.
The Argus joined 54 other college newspapers standing in solidarity with the Stanford Daily, arguing that the weaponization of the INA has had an “unconstitutional chilling effect” on student journalism. The brief was filed by the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), and supported by the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association.
“A free press cannot thrive in an atmosphere of fear,” the brief read, “whether the threat comes from a university dean or a federal deportation order.”
At Wesleyan, we have acutely felt this impact of the State Department’s extraordinary policies. While The Argus aims to serve as an unbiased, accurate record of Wesleyan campus life, the Trump administration’s illegal actions have directly affected our ability to fulfill this mission.
As the Trump administration has ramped up its crackdown on speech, it has largely succeeded in limiting the extent to which international students feel comfortable publishing their views. As a result, The Argus has faced significant roadblocks in its efforts to diligently cover issues affecting international students. Students, both international and domestic, have increasingly requested anonymity in interviews for fear of recourse from the Trump administration. (The Argus has updated its policy on anonymity to consider the Trump administration’s illegal crackdown on non-citizens.)
International student members of The Argus remain invaluable editors, managers, and contributors. They continue to work hard on important stories, reporting on protests, international policy, and other Trump-adjacent articles. But they have also asked to not publish their bylines on those pieces, expressing legitimate worry of potential repercussions. International students have similarly voiced fears about writing opinion articles critical of the administration—a right that should be common to all Wesleyan students. Former international students have written to The Argus, asking for quotes and entire articles noting their political opinions to be removed from the paper’s online archive.
The Trump administration has legitimized fear of repercussion. This year, Department of Homeland Security agents kidnapped Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk off of the street for penning an op-ed critical of Tufts’ refusal to divest from Israel. Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestine organizer, Columbia graduate student, and green card-holder, was arrested by ICE for his role in leading an encampment at the university. At the behest of the Trump administration, UC Berkeley handed over the personal information of 160 students and faculty following allegations of antisemitism on campus.
“[These actions] sent a clear message to international students,” the brief said. “Say or write something that this administration does not like, and the government may grab you off the street, call you a terrorist sympathizer, lock you up in a distant detention facility, and ultimately kick you out of the country.”
President Roth, who has called the administration’s crackdown on speech “un-American, anti-democratic, and authoritarian,” has emerged as likely the most outspoken critic of Trump among university presidents. He has spoken boldly. But the Trump administration has yet to directly test Wesleyan.
The Trump administration has yet to ask Wesleyan for a list of students who participated in the 2024 pro-Palestine encampment, or the sit-in at North College. But even as Roth stands up to Trump, it’s clear that the government’s speech crackdown will not slow.
The first hearing in Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation et al. v. Rubio et al. will be held in a federal court in San Jose, CA on Nov. 19. The Argus urges the court to consider the tangible, lived experiences and fears of international students, corroborated by 55 college newspapers, in deciding the legality of the State Department’s policy.
If the court strikes down Secretary Rubio’s weaponization of the INA, international students might face less tangible repercussions for speaking their mind, but Trump and Rubio’s actions have already caused irreparable damage to the historic, crucial, and mutually beneficial relationship between international students and American universities.
So, as the court considers this specific case, we want to remind students of our call to action from the beginning of the semester. Those Wesleyan students, including ourselves, who sit in positions of immense privilege, have the prerogative to speak out, publicly and loudly.
In the coming weeks, The Argus will unveil a series of essays titled “Letters on Pragmatic Hope,” written by Wesleyan professors from a diverse set of disciplines, backgrounds, and experiences. We are starting this series with the aim that their perspectives will help Wesleyan students who are feeling hopeless or powerless in the face of an increasingly autocratic Trump administration to determine a tangible way to take action.
Our contribution to the Stanford Daily’s courageous lawsuit against the Trump administration is just one piece of the puzzle, but we are invigorated by the vast number of student-run publications that decided to stand, publicly, in solidarity with a fellow newspaper.
We invite you, too, to stand. Submit a tip about an upcoming protest, or an investigative lead, to our reporting team. Write an article for our Opinion section. If you’re not a student, make a contribution to The Argus to ensure that our reporting continues. Send us a letter.
Student newspapers hold immense institutional privilege and momentum, but without student involvement, they will falter. We must continue to be diligent and attentive. We still can’t do it without you.
Sincerely,
Miles Pinsof-Berlowitz ’27 & Thomas Lyons ’26
Editors-in-Chief
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