[Want even more content from FPM? Sign up for FPM+ to unlock exclusive series, virtual town-halls with our authors, and more—now for just $3.99/month. Click here to sign up.]
According to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, almost two-thirds of Americans support the deportation of non-citizen students who show support for ”internationally recognized terrorist groups.” 63 percent want those who “voice support” to be deported; 67% want those who “actively support” terrorists to be deported. The responses differ by party. 84% of Republicans support deportation of such people as Mahmoud Khalil, who “actively supports” Hamas, and 83% of Republicans would support deporting Rumeysa Öztürk, who has “voiced support” for terrorists. But a different picture is painted when we look at the responses of Democrats.
The Democrats are morally muddled: some have held onto their wits and seen their way clear to supporting such deportations, but about half of them still think that holders of green cards should be allowed to stay, even if they “actively support” terrorist groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. More on this Great Divide can be found here: “Most Americans Agree With Deporting Mahmoud Khalil, Foreign Students Who ‘Support’ Terror Groups, Poll Finds,” by Corey Walker, Algemeiner, April 3, 2025:
About two-thirds of the American people support the deportation of non-citizen students, such as Mahmoud Khalil, who indicate support for internationally recognized terrorist groups, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.
The poll — conducted from March 26-27 among registered US voters — was released amid ongoing furor over the Trump administration’s sweeping arrests and detainments of non-citizen students who have allegedly expressed support for terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and in many cases participated in raucous, often destructive and unsanctioned anti-Israel demonstrations on university campuses.
According to the newly released data, most Americans, 63 percent, believe that the Trump administration should “deport” foreign students who “voice support” for terrorist groups like Hamas, while a slightly higher 67 percent want such deportations for non-citizens on campuses who “actively support” such terrorist groups. About one-third of voters in each case said they believe the students should stay in the US….
However, a striking 69 percent of respondents in the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll said the federal government should “have the authority to revoke the green card of a permanent legal resident and deport them if it can prove that such a person actively supported a terrorist organization like Hamas.” By comparison, 31 percent said the government should not have such authority….
Almost 70% of those responding believe that the federal government has the authority to revoke the green card of legal residents and to deport them, if they “actively support” a terrorist group. A single brief message on social media would not be “active support” but repeated messaging, and expressing support for, or taking part in, a “disruptive student protest” would be.
In contrast, only 42 percent of Democrats said they endorse deportation for foreign students who voice support for terrorist groups, compared to 58 percent who want them to stay on US spoil. Meanwhile, a slight majority, 51 percent, indicated the government should deport those who “actively support” such extremist organizations, while 49 percent oppose deportation in such circumstances….
What a great and disturbing divide between the parties: while 83% of Republicans would want foreign students to be deported if they voice support for terrorist groups, just about half that number — 42% — of Democrats would deport them for the same behavior; 58% would let them stay. When it comes to foreign students who “actively support” terrorist organizations, only 51% of Democrats would deport them, while 49% would let them stay.
If you thought — perhaps because you have been getting your news from the New York Times or the Washington Post — that there was little enthusiasm for deporting these foreign students who support terrorist groups, think again. The latest poll shows that two-thirds of Americans support such deportations. And if you thought there would be little difference between the parties, look again at the figures in the latest poll and mind the gap: 83% of Republicans want those who “voice support” for terrorism deported, while only 42% of Democrats do. That is a staggering difference. The Democratic Party, once the party of Harry Truman and Henry Jackson, is being taken over by the Old Left of Bernie Sanders and the New Left of the Squadroons.
