❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge issued one of the most reckless judgments of recent years late Thursday, essentially granting leftist nonprofits final approval authority over Trump administration deportation orders affecting their members.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young, the Trump administration, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), and foreign nationals slated for deportation.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on January 22, 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This Court ruled that the Plaintiffs American Association of University Professors (‘AAUP’) and their associate chapters, and the Middle East Studies Association (‘MESA’) have shown by clear and convincing evidence that Secretaries [Kristi] Noem and [Marco] Rubio have intentionally and in concert implemented Executive Orders in 14161 and 14188 a viewpoint-discriminatory way to chill protected speech that ‘violated the First Amendment.'” — Judge Young
🎯IMPACT: While Judge Young’s ruling is unlikely to stand on appeal, it marks one of the most radical ever rulings against federal immigration law and the executive branch’s ability to enforce it.
A federal judge issued one of the most reckless judgments of recent years late Thursday, essentially granting leftist nonprofits final approval authority over Trump administration deportation orders affecting their members. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young, 85, ruled that the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) have continually had their members’ First Amendment rights violated by federal officials by being targeted for deportation over their support of Hamas or similar terrorist groups. Further, as remediation, Judge Young barred the federal government from deporting AAUP and MESA members without the groups’ permission and final approval by a federal judge.
“This Court ruled that the Plaintiffs American Association of University Professors (‘AAUP’) and their associate chapters, and the Middle East Studies Association (‘MESA’) have shown by clear and convincing evidence that Secretaries [Kristi] Noem and [Marco] Rubio have intentionally and in concert implemented Executive Orders in 14161 and 14188 a viewpoint-discriminatory way to chill protected speech that ‘violated the First Amendment,'” the judge wrote.
Young goes on to say, “Any non-citizen member of the plaintiffs AAUP or MESA, who was a member on or after March 25, 2025, and continued as a member through September 30, 2025, shall have a right to institute a proceeding (‘Sanction Action’) in the United States District Court…”
While Judge Young’s ruling is unlikely to stand on appeal, it marks one of the most radical rulings ever against federal immigration law and the executive branch’s ability to enforce it. Not only does Young ignore the jurisdiction of the U.S. Immigration Court system—an error highlighted in a separate case that The National Pulse reported on last week—he makes the drastic move of essentially granting two private nonprofit groups, the AAUP and MESA, veto power over deportation proceedings unless a federal district court judge approves the deportation.
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