A senior official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Peter Hatch, testified in federal court that his department used data from opaque pro-Israel blacklisting websites such as Canary Mission and Betar to investigate and potentially deport international student activists involved in pro-Palestinian protests. Hatch confirmed that a special task force, or "tiger team," within Homeland Security Investigations was formed in March to analyze thousands of names pulled from these sites, despite the lack of transparency regarding how individuals were selected for profiling. His office subsequently produced between 100 and 200 reports for the State Department to use in determining deportation actions. Hatch emphasized that the urgency came from senior Homeland Security officials and that his unit typically focuses on transnational crimes such as trafficking and exploitation.
The testimony, which came during a pivotal trial challenging the Trump administration's policy on foreign students, suggested that political motivations influenced immigration enforcement against pro-Palestinian voices. Academic groups argue that the arrests were intended to suppress dissent on campuses. Faculty like Nadia Abu El-Haj testified that the targeting created a chilling effect, particularly among noncitizen students, who began retreating from public activism. While Abu El-Haj, a U.S. citizen, felt protected in voicing support, others like Ranjani Srinivasan, Mahmoud Khalil, and Mohsen Mahdawi faced serious repercussions including detainment and visa revocations. The Justice Department denied any formal connection between ICE and the blacklisting sites, though Hatch admitted their content was used extensively without verifying the methods behind the listings.