US Zionist group slammed for ‘bringing fascism to America’

A US Zionist group campaigning against pro-Palestine students has been slammed for “bringing fascism to America” after calling on the public to report student activists to the immigration authorities. The organisation, StopAntisemitism, which claims to fight anti-Semitism, has caused outrage for urging its supporters to report foreign students involved in Palestine solidarity actions to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Jewish organisations should not be calling to deport people for demonstrating,” responded Israeli commentator Shaiel Ben-Ephraim. “Why are we front and centre in bringing fascism to America?”

Jewish organizations should not be calling to deport people for demonstrating. Why are we front and center in bringing fascism to America? I want nothing to do with this. https://t.co/yVaATVX2ta

— Shaiel Ben-Ephraim (@academic_la) March 30, 2025

The group’s campaign specifically targets foreign nationals studying in the US, naming individuals, publishing their photos and accusing them of “aligning with terror organisations”, despite a lack of criminal charges in many cases. The campaign includes direct links to ICE’s tip-off form and encourages followers to act. Critics say that this is a dangerous escalation in efforts to silence pro-Palestinian voices and represents a broader attack on civil liberties. Legal experts and rights groups have warned that it undermines the US Constitution’s protection of free speech and weaponises immigration enforcement for political repression.

READ: US federal immigration agents detain doctoral student at University of Alabama

This crackdown is taking place against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s renewed campaign to detain and deport foreign students who criticise Israel. Under the guise of combatting anti-Semitism, the Trump-led initiative includes targeting green card holders and pressuring academic institutions to discipline or expel those with pro-Palestine voices. Universities have responded with sweeping new restrictions on speech. The most recent example involves Montreal-based physician and former president of Doctors Without Borders, Dr Joanne Liu, whose scheduled lecture at New York University was cancelled after officials raised concerns over slides referencing civilian casualties in Gaza.

Dr Liu described the cancellation as symptomatic of a “climate of fear” now gripping American academia. Despite offering to edit her slides, NYU pulled the plug, citing potential political consequences. She wrote later that universities are increasingly self-censoring to avoid retaliation from the Trump administration and the loss of federal funding.

As pro-Palestinian students face deportation threats and academics are silenced, many warn that the US is witnessing a dangerous convergence of Zionist lobbying, right-wing politics and state power. It is a convergence that, in Donald Trump’s America, is transforming expressions of solidarity into grounds for surveillance, punishment and removal.

READ: Columbia warns journalism students to stay silent on Gaza or risk arrest