BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a multistate amicus brief in Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation v. Rubio in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
In their brief, the attorneys general support The Stanford Daily – an independent student-run newspaper at Stanford University – in its lawsuit against the Trump administration over its “Ideological Deportation Policy,” which targets and punishes noncitizens with lawful status, especially college students and faculty who express political beliefs with which the administration disagrees.
“Using deportation as punishment for speech the Trump administration doesn’t like is un-American and unconstitutional, especially when those being threatened are lawfully allowed to be in the United States,” said Attorney General Brown. “Our Office stands with this independent newspaper in defending the free speech rights of international students and faculty who enrich our college campuses and strengthen our State.”
In January 2025, President Trump issued two Executive Orders (14161 and 14188), which laid the groundwork for the administration’s “Ideological Deportation Policy.” These orders direct federal agencies to investigate, detain, and deport noncitizen students and faculty who engage in political speech with which the administration disagrees. As a result of the Trump administration’s Executive Orders and cruel immigration enforcement policies, the Stanford Daily filed a lawsuit in August 2025 against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, citing that multiple international student journalists have declined assignments, removed their bylines, or resigned entirely out of fear that their reporting could be used as grounds for deportation.
In their brief, Attorney General Brown and the coalition assert that the Trump administration’s unlawful use of ideology to arrest, detain, and deport lawful noncitizen residents threatens the economic growth and stability of the coalition states, their ability to attract diverse talent from around the world, and the states’ public health and safety.
The contributions of immigrant students and faculty go far beyond economics: They enrich academic discourse, strengthen research capabilities, and enhance the global competitiveness of the coalition states.
Attorney General Brown and the coalition argue that the Trump administration’s ideological deportation policy is a direct violation of the First Amendment’s free speech protections. The coalition states also argue that if deemed lawful by the Court, the Trump administration’s weaponization of immigration enforcement would not only undermine the purpose of higher education, but it would also hinder the states’ ability to attract the diverse talent needed to grow and sustain key industries within state and local economies.
Notably, just two weeks ago, the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts addressed this unlawful policy in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio, ruling that First Amendment protections apply equally to citizens and lawfully present noncitizens.
Attorney General Brown is joined in filing this brief by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.