Harvard University Asian-American discrimination case begins
Washington, Oct 16: Harvard University lowers its recruiting standards a bit for many students from rural regions, but not for Asian- Americans, to have diversity at its campus, the prestigious varsity's dean of admissions has testified in federal court as he defended the school's race-based admissions.
The dean, William Fitzsimmons, was the first witness to take the stand in a trial on Monday over whether Harvard discriminates against Asian-American applicants in violation of civil rights law.
Fitzsimmons, the longtime dean of the Harvard University since 1986, defended the admission policy of the university. He argued that the school lowers the admission standards a bit for many students from rural region, if they are not Asian Americans. This is to have diversity, he said.
Harvard attorney Bill Lee told the court without weighing a student's race, the university campus would either become much less diverse or less academically excellent. During the ongoing trial, Harvard University defended its holistic admissions process in which it considers race as one of many factors.
"People invited to apply from sparse country are 'unknown', 'other' and 'white', correct? John Hughes, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, asked Fitzsimmons.
"Yes," said the dean, who has been in charge of Harvard admissions since 1986.
"Asians are not included in that list? Hughes asked.
"Not in that particular list," Fitzsimmons replied.
The plaintiffs say that the university holds Asian-American applicants to a higher standard than people of other races, and that it resorts to racial balancing to shape its incoming classes.
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has opposed the lawsuit and supported Harvard's effort to have diversity in the campus.
"This case is not about educational equity or protecting the educational interests of a particular racial or ethnic group. It is instead just the latest attempt to advance the misguided arguments for race blindness, recycling the tired myth of a post-racial America. If you cannot acknowledge someone's race, you risk not acknowledging them," said Dennis Parker from ACLU's racial justice program.
The number of Asian-American students at Harvard has remained at 20 per cent for years, while the number of those applicants from this segment of the society has increased significantly.
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Immigration judge finds that Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Khalil can be deported
Jena (US), Apr 12 (AP): Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil can be kicked out of the US as a national security risk, an immigration judge in Louisiana has found during a hearing over the legality of deporting the activist who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The government's contention that Khalil's presence in the United States posed “potentially serious foreign policy consequences” was enough to satisfy requirements for his deportation, Immigration Judge Jamee E Comans said at the conclusion of a hearing in Jena on Friday.
Comans said the government had “established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable”.
Lawyers for Khalil said they plan to keep fighting and will seek a waiver. And a federal judge in New Jersey has temporarily barred Khalil's deportation.
Khalil, a legal US resident, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8 in the lobby of his university-owned apartment, the first arrest under President Donald Trump's promised crackdown on students who joined campus protests against the war in Gaza.
Within a day, he was flown across the country and taken to an immigration detention centre in Jena, thousands of miles from his attorneys and wife, a US citizen who is due to give birth soon.
Khalil's lawyers have challenged the legality of his detention, saying the Trump administration is trying to crack down on free speech protected by the US Constitution.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited a rarely used statute to justify Khalil's deportation, which gives him power to deport those who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States”.
At Friday's hearing, Khalil attorney Marc Van Der Hout told the judge that the government's submissions to the court prove the attempt to deport his client “has nothing to do with foreign policy”.
Earlier this week, Comans challenged the government to share proof that Khalil should be expelled from the country for his role in campus protests against Israel and the war in Gaza. She said if evidence does not support his removal, she would “terminate the case on Friday”.
On Friday, Justice Department attorneys said in papers filed in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, that Comans would not have the authority to immediately free Khalil.
They said an immigration judge could determine if Khalil is subject to deportation and then conduct a bail hearing afterward if it is found that he is not.
Khalil isn't accused of breaking any laws during the protests at Columbia. The government, however, has said that noncitizens who participate in such demonstrations should be expelled from the country for expressing views that the administration considers to be antisemitic and “pro-Hamas,” referring to the Palestinian fighter group that attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023.
Khalil, a 30-year-old international affairs graduate student, had served as a negotiator and spokesperson for student activists at Columbia University who took over a campus lawn last spring to protest Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
The university brought police in to dismantle the encampment after a small group of protesters seized an administration building. Khalil is not accused of participating in the building occupation and wasn't among the people arrested in connection with the demonstrations.
But images of his maskless face at protests, along with his willingness to share his name with reporters, have made him an object of scorn among those who saw the protesters and their demands as antisemitic. The White House accused Khalil of “siding with terrorists,” but has yet to cite any support for the claim.
Federal judges in New York and New Jersey have ordered the government not to deport Khalil while his case plays out in court.
The Trump administration has said it is taking at least $400 million in federal funding away from research programmes at Columbia and its medical centre to punish it for not doing enough to fight what it considers to be antisemitism on campus.
Some Jewish students and faculty complained about being harassed during the demonstrations or ostracised because of their faith or their support of Israel.
Immigration authorities have cracked down on other critics of Israel on college campuses, arresting a Georgetown University scholar who had spoken out on social media about the Israel-Gaza war, cancelling the student visas of some protesters and deporting a Brown University professor who they said had attended the Lebanon funeral of a leader of Hezbollah, another fighter group that has fought with Israel.
