Students at a D.C. university are responding to a social media post by President Donald Trump in which he claims federal funding will be pulled from universities that allow 鈥渋llegal protests鈥� to take place.
Alicia Alleyne from Fredericksburg is a second-year student studying occupational therapy at George Washington University.
鈥淚 kind of felt angered, discouragement, like we can’t protest. We can’t have a freedom of speech,鈥� Alleyne told WTOP.
In Trump said, 鈥淎gitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came,鈥� the post read. 鈥淎merican students will be permanently expelled, or depending on the crime, arrested.鈥�
Graduate student Isabella Perez said in situations during which students are disciplined by a school during a protest, she doesn鈥檛 believe the federal government should be involved in the disciplinary process.
鈥淚 don’t think that they should have a say in if we get expelled or not,” she said. “I don’t see protesting as a bad thing. You’re expressing your feelings and everything.”
The university saw several demonstrations last year that remained peaceful, though administrators labeled one protest of the Israel-Hamas conflict as an 鈥渋llegal and potentially dangerous occupation of GW property.鈥�
The university claimed that demonstration included protesters who were not members of the school community and D.C. police eventually cleared out the protest.
鈥淲e saw a lot of action last year with some pretty conflicted results, and hopefully, as these things continue to progress, the university will continue to provide an open floor for these students to voice, themselves and their opinions, any concerns,鈥� said Colston Judd, a staff member and grad student at GW.
Scott Michelman, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia, took issue with the president鈥檚 post.
鈥淗is statement today is really a toxic stew of misinformation, baseless threats and complete ignorance of the First Amendment,鈥� Michelman said.
Michelman said, legally, the federal government cannot stop funding for an educational institution from going out based on speech that occurs at that institution.
鈥淯nless it amounts to prohibited discrimination, for which the university has been deliberately indifferent,鈥� he added.
Michelman said demonstrators cannot be imprisoned or deported for speech nor can the United States expel students from their college or university.
鈥淭hat is a decision of the school, not the government,鈥� he said.
Michelman said the ACLU is prepared to 鈥渄efend free speech rights of Americans.鈥�
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