Over the past several months, the Trump Administration has continued to target those who speak the truth to power. Through direct requests, financial threats, and proxy attacks by higher education administrators, there has been a notable rise in the use of fascist tactics to come after and punish students for their speech in support of Palestinian liberation. Higher education institutions have already capitulated to, if not explicitly coordinated with, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), disappearing and kidnapping students like Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, Rümeysa Öztürk, Momodou Taal, and others. Now, the government and school administrators are directly threatening university organizations and their student leadership.
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) unequivocally rejects these attempts to silence and suppress student speech and advocacy. This is a moment where students must stand together as their rights and the rights of others are being attacked. No one is an island— it is our duty to challenge repression and remain steadfast in our dedication to fight for liberation from oppression in all forms. To that end, NLG student chapters have actively supported Palestinian liberation and openly challenged institutional investments and complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, organized to keep ICE off their campuses, and advocated for sanctuary campuses to protect those most vulnerable to state repression.
Attacks on campus activism are taking place at multiple universities in various forms. On March 24, 2025, Dean Jessica Berg of the University of California Davis School of Law (UCD) announced the effective indefinite suspension of the UCD Law Student Association in response to its passage of a student-sponsored BDS amendment. This attempt to silence student voices sets a terrifying precedent because schools should not be able to arbitrarily eliminate student organizations under the auspices of securing access to government funding.
Most recently, on April 11, 2025, the Trump Administration sent Harvard University a series of unconstitutional requests. The letter asks Harvard, among other things, to remove funding for, dissolve, and discipline active members of student organizations, including the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee, Harvard Graduates Students 4 Palestine, Law Students for a Free Palestine, Justice for Palestine, and the National Lawyers Guild. As noted by Harvard NLG’s co-president Corinne Shanahan in the chapter’s statement, “that the federal government wants us disbanded and disciplined exposes what they fear: an organized resistance movement, supported by law students and lawyers dedicated to fighting back against fascism.” These demands come in the wake of Harvard’s refusal to capitulate to White House demands, similar to those which fellow Ivy League member Columbia University recently agreed to, following Trump’s termination of approximately $400 million in grants to the school.
NLG law students stand committed to movements for collective action, solidarity, racial justice, and liberation in all forms. What we are seeing at UCD and Harvard are not isolated incidents— these are calculated initiatives meant to intimidate and distract our movements and organizing efforts. Throughout history, the NLG has refused to yield to repressive regimes attempting to undermine the rights of the people; dating back to the 1950s, our organization has been subject to state efforts to disrupt and undermine our ongoing fight for justice. We will not let this administration, or any administration, deter us from pursuing human and ecological rights over property interests.
Below you may find a non-exhaustive list of resources for campus activism, many of which are available on the NLG website. Additionally, if your school or regional chapter has any resources that would be of use to others, please feel free to email them to education@nlg.org.
KYRs
- NLG Know Your Rights for Protesters Training
- NLG KYR for Protesters Handbook
- NLG Know Your Rights for Campus Protest Guide
- NLG MA and CAIR MA KYR for University Disciplinary Hearings
- NLG and EFF Back to School Guide: Facing On-Campus Surveillance
- NLG Responsive Guide: Protesting Genocide is Not Hate Speech
- NLG KYR Training for University Faculty and Staff
Organizing:
- Toolkit for Sanctuary & Popular University Organizing
- Pal Legal Student Handbook, FAQs, and tips
- Center for Constitutional Rights Tools and Resources
- Movement for Black Lives protest safety guide and digital security tips
- CUNY Law Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility Guidance Tools
Anti-Doxxing:
