Amicus Briefs Say Trump Immigration Policy Chills Researchers’ Speech

As a federal court considers whether to block a US immigration policy challenged by the Coalition for Independent Technology Research (CITR), three amicus briefs argue that the case is about far more than immigration restrictions on noncitizen researchers, fact-checkers, and trust and safety workers. At stake, they contend, is whether the government can use its immigration authority to shape the conditions under which online speech is produced, moderated, and studied.

In Coalition for Independent Technology Research v. Rubio, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University (where we worked as legal externs) and Protect Democracy, representing CITR, argue that a Trump Administration immigration policy targeting noncitizens for deportation and exclusion based on their work in the areas of social media research, disinformation, content moderation, and related issues penalizes particular viewpoints and chills protected speech in violation of the First Amendment. The lawsuit alleges that the policy also violates the Fifth Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.