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NextImg:Trump team used Canary Mission site to target anti-Israel activists for deportation

JTA — Newly unsealed court records and trial testimony show that top Trump administration officials relied heavily on Canary Mission, a controversial website that targets pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists, as part of a secretive effort to deport foreign students and academics from American universities.

The revelations emerged during an ongoing federal lawsuit in Boston brought by the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association, challenging what they call “ideological deportations” that they say violate the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

The case is one of the most closely watched challenges to US President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts.

A Department of Homeland Security “tiger team” formed in 2019 built dossiers on thousands of noncitizen academics and students by pulling names from a public list of 5,000 individuals compiled by Canary Mission, according to Politico’s reporting on the trial.

The site — which publishes profiles of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists, identifying protests they’ve participated in and often archiving inflammatory posts they’ve made on social media — became a primary resource for the team, according to sworn testimony from DHS official Peter Hatch.

Hatch, the assistant director for intelligence at Homeland Security Investigations, testified that more than 75% of the deportation referrals prepared by his unit were based on names first identified through Canary Mission, adding that the information was independently verified before being compiled into official reports, according to Politico.

Anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil, right, speaks to US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, after arriving at Newark International Airport, June 21, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

“Many of the names or even most of the names came from that website, but we were getting names and leads from many different websites,” Hatch said.

“We received information on the same protesters from multiple sources, but Canary Mission was the most inclusive. The lists came in from all different directions.”

“Canary Mission is not a part of the US government,” he said. “It is not information that we would take as an authoritative source. We don’t work with the individuals who create the website. I don’t know who creates the website.”

Trump officials cited another pro-Israel outside group as a key source of intelligence: Betar USA.

The right-wing Zionist group that has taken a confrontational stance toward Muslim and pro-Palestinian student organizations claimed earlier this year that it provided the government with a list of targets for deportation.

Tufts University student from Turkey, Rumeysa Ozturk, left, who was arrested by immigration agents while walking along a street in a Boston suburb, talks to reporters on arriving back in Boston, May 10, 2025, a day after she was released from a Louisiana immigration detention center on the orders of a federal judge. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via AP)

In February, the Anti-Defamation League added Betar USA to its list of extremist groups, citing its open Islamophobia and alleged harassment of pro-Palestinian activists.

Canary Mission did not respond to a request for comment from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, but in a statement to Politico, it denied collaborating with any government agencies, insisting that its goal is solely to document antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment.

“We document individuals and groups that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews. We investigate hatred across the political spectrum, including the far-right, far-left and anti-Israel activists,” the group said.

Critics say the group’s anonymous structure and doxxing tactics have created a climate of fear on college campuses.

This week’s trial testimony also shed light on the role of top Trump advisor Stephen Miller in the deportation campaign. Officials testified that Miller, who is Jewish, was regularly involved in interagency meetings focused on deporting pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel students.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller speaks to members of the media at the White House, on May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

John Armstrong, acting chief of the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, testified he had “at least a dozen” conversations with White House officials about the deportation initiative, according to Politico.

Armstrong confirmed that Miller participated in interagency conference calls “at one point at least weekly,” with calls lasting between 15 minutes and an hour, often including officials from the State and Homeland Security departments.

In the months since Trump took office, immigration authorities made several arrests of high-profile pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student activists who are not citizens, and sought to deport them from the US.

None was accused of a crime, but the administration has invoked its executive authority under immigration law to turn away non-citizens whom it deems a national security threat, even if they have not committed a crime.

All of those arrested have since been freed from detention, and judges have said the arrests may have been unconstitutional.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.