Right-wing pundit and author Ann Coulter, a longtime supporter of strict immigration policies, has unexpectedly broken ranks with the MAGA movement after a Palestinian activist studying at Columbia University was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Coulter responded to reports that Betar, a Zionist organization, has compiled a list of foreign students involved in anti-Israel protests with the intention of collaborating with the Trump administration to have them deported.
"There's almost no one I don't want to deport, but, unless they've committed a crime, isn't this a violation of the First Amendment?" Coulter wrote Monday on X, questioning the deportation of foreign students legally in the U.S. based on the expression of anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian views.
The commentary follows the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian legally in the U.S. who was involved with Columbia University protests against Israel's war on Palestine. ICE agents arrested Khalil without filing a clear charge, igniting controversy nationwide. "This is the first arrest of many to come," Trump announced.
Coulter's public dissent is a departure from her hardline views on immigration and usual alignment with the conservative administration, though she has criticized Trump in the past. Trump has previously promised to deport foreign students deemed to be pro-Hamas, and recent reports indicate the administration plans to use AI technology to identify culprits.
"When I am president we will not allow our colleges to be taken over by violent radicals. If you come from another country and try to bring Jihadism or anti-Americanism or anti-Semitism to our campuses we will immediately deport you," Trump vowed at a May rally.
While Trump allies insist that cracking down on anti-Semitic and pro-jihad rhetoric on campuses is a national security priority, Coulter's remarks highlight legal and ideological tension within the movement.
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