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Amy Doukoure, staff attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Michigan chapter, delivered a lecture at the American Moslem Society in Dearborn titled "Know Your Rights Under the Current Immigration Executive Orders" on February 9, 2025. She discussed an executive order under which international students studying in the United States on student visas could be deported for espousing hateful ideology and rhetoric. Doukoure highlighted cases where international students were expelled for their "Palestinian advocacy" at Michigan State University and Columbia University.
She called Trump's executive orders "very scary," because they reflect the ideology of "far-right Christian Republicans who believe that America was intended to be a Judeo-Christian white nation." She noted that references to immigrants who have not assimilated into American culture or society are particularly problematic for Muslim communities in the U.S. Doukoure urged participants who are undocumented or concerned about being targeted by immigration services to reach out to CAIR. A participant asked whether an international student proven to have spoken against antisemitic views would be deported. Doukoure responded that it is not yet certain.
In parts of the talk not included in the clip, Doukoure offered detailed advice, cautioning the audience against cooperating with ICE or CBP. She also advised listeners to minimize cooperation with immigration authorities upon entering the United States from Yemen. Doukoure shared a personal story about her brother-in-law, who is in the U.S. illegally, was picked up by immigration authorities, and whose wife is also in the country illegally.
Amy Doukoure: "Trump signed an order that says that international students who are here that espouse hateful ideology and, sort of, hateful rhetoric are going to be expelled from the United States. And that's intended specifically to target pro-Palestinian advocates amongst our international students that are here. And we saw a lot of that at the university. We saw at University of Michigan, you know, Michigan State, even some like Columbia and things like that, we saw a lot of international students get kicked out of school for their pro-Palestinian advocacy.
[...]
"And one of the things I want to say about all of the executive orders, they're very, very scary. Because they use language like 'ideologies that are hostile to America.' They use terminology like 'hostile to American culture, American ideologies.' Immigrants that are identified to not be able to fully assimilate into American culture.
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"And there are a lot of very far right Christian Republicans who believe that America was intended to be a white Judeo-Christian nation, and that's just the way that their beliefs are. And these terms, in these executive orders, are intended to carry out that ideology, which is what makes them very, very problematic for our community specifically.
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"So if you are here and you are undocumented or you're already under an order of removal or, like, a deportation order, there are some things that you need to do, especially in light of the roundups that are going on right now. You need to make sure that you designate someone to be in charge of your affairs in case you're picked up.
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"And if you have a particular need or a particular concern, because you are undocumented and you're worried about what might happen if you get picked up, I urge you to call our office and that's a conversation that we can have at that time.
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"Trump designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. And I laugh because it's, like, it's ludicrous that we're still doing this. But his... there are a lot of reasons, if you're traveling to Yemen to, to be cautious."
Moderator: "The brother is asking: those executive orders that was issued, has been issued, by Trump against pro-Palestinian students are they, like, you know, no court, I mean 100% they're going to go through?
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"I mean, his questions, I mean, if they prove that, against someone that he was against antisemitism, then they can deport him if he's an international student?"
Doukoure: "I mean, maybe, maybe not. Like that's still being challenged. Like that's going to be challenged about whether words alone, especially in a country of free speech, are enough to get somebody removed from the United States. Like if they're exercising... while they're here they have free speech rights, so exercising their free speech, is that really enough? And who gets to determine what's hostile ideology or what's hateful?"
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