Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem touted the progress made during President Trump's first year back in office. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Young ruled in September that the actions in question violated the First Amendment and had scheduled Thursday's hearing with the intent of crafting a remedy to protect the noncitizens in question from being deported, or having their immigration status changed barring certain circumstances.
But what transpired instead was largely a stunning dressing-down of top Trump officials, including the president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
"I find it breathtaking that I have been compelled on the evidence to find the conduct of such high-level officers of our government — cabinet secretaries — conspired to infringe the First Amendment rights of people with such rights here in the United States," Young said Thursday. "These cabinet secretaries have failed in their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution."
The most searing remarks of the day, however, were reserved for Trump.
Young said Trump has continued to disregard the First Amendment in an "appalling" capacity, likening his actions to an "authoritarian" leader.
A student protester waves a large Palestinian flag at their encampment on the Columbia University campus, April 29, 2024, in New York. (Stefan Jeremiah/AP Photo)
Lawyers for the administration argued that the actions were part of their fight against antisemitism, including on college campuses, and had argued that the individuals in question were "pro-Hamas."
Young in September sided with the plaintiffs — the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association — in ruling that the Trump administration's actions violated the First Amendment.
Trump's "palpable misunderstanding that the government simply cannot seek retribution for speech he disdains poses a great threat to Americans’ freedom of speech," he said then. "It is at this juncture that the judiciary has robustly rebuffed the president and his administration."
Still, Young said Thursday he planned to issue an order with a more narrowly tailored form of relief for students than the lawyers had sought and would not grant them the blanket injunction they had sought.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, fired back at the judge in a statement Thursday to Fox News Digital.
"There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here," she said.
Representatives for the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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U.S. District Judge William Young at the federal courthouse in Boston. (U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts/Handout via Reuters)
It’s not the first time Young has raised eyebrows for his sharp criticisms of the commander in chief.
Young in June ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it slashed funding for NIH research grants and issued an injunction for the funding to be restored.
He also used the order to describe the cuts as "appalling" evidence of what he described as "racial discrimination" and "discrimination against the LGBTQ community."
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The Supreme Court later ruled 5-4 to lift the injunction, and two justices took the opportunity to chastise Young, to some degree, for the manner in which he went about issuing the opinion.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-officials-fire-back-after-federal-judge-calls-president-authoritarian-deportation-effort