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State Department official testifies how Stephen Miller was involved in discussions over student visas and antisemitism | News Channel 3-12
UNITED STATES, JUL 18 – John Armstrong testified that visa revocations targeted international students and professors for speech critical of Israel, using broad antisemitism definitions tied to U.S. policy, affecting dozens.
- John Armstrong, a senior State Department official, testified on Friday about visa revocations for non-citizen students and professors in Boston federal court.
- Armstrong stated that visa cancellations were based on the State Department’s expansive interpretations of antisemitism, developed during over a dozen discussions involving the White House—among them Stephen Miller—and multiple agencies.
- Armstrong said he carefully considered Rümeysa Öztürk’s complicated case and cited her op-ed, protests, and association with a banned pro-Palestinian group as reasons for revoking her Tufts University visa.
- Armstrong urged caution, saying, "This is not a mundane thing" and "If we get this stuff wrong, we get 9/11," while Judge William Young affirmed First Amendment protections extend to lawful non-citizens.
- The ongoing trial highlights tensions between efforts to combat antisemitism and concerns over protecting free speech, as closing arguments are scheduled for Monday and Öztürk challenges her deportation.
15 Articles
15 Articles
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“What would Los Angeles look like without illegal immigrants,” asked Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to himself on Fox News. He painted an imagined picture of a city with widespread resources, no crime and clean streets. Caitlin Dickerson says Miller’s vision “reads like a fantasy of someone who doesn’t understand economics." Immigrants are crucial to the country’s economics, explains Ray Suarez: “We're pushing down the supply c…
'Heated back and forth' breaks out as judge spars with Trump admin over visa revocations
A federal judge reportedly got into a "heated back-and-forth" with a State Department official in a Boston court Friday over the Trump administration’s loose definition of antisemitism, and how it uses it to revoke visas of international students lawfully in the country.Speaking on behalf of the State Department was John Armstrong, a top official at the agency’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, who has been tasked with helping vet foreign students an…
State Department official testifies how Stephen Miller was involved in discussions over student visas and antisemitism
The State Department had more than a dozen meetings with the White House – including Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s White House deputy chief of staff – and other agencies to discuss the topic of student visas, a top department official said in federal court on Friday.
Official Confirms State Department Considered Statements Critical of Israel and U.S. in Revoking Foreign Students’ Visas
BOSTON—Below are highlights from today’s proceedings in the trial before Judge William G. Young in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in a case challenging the Trump administration’s policy of ideological deportation. John Armstrong, the most senior official at the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, testified that he either gave final approval or passed to Secretary Rubio the “action memos” approving Rümeysa
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