How the Trump administration benefits from fear
By TARA ROMERO — tcrome@ucdavis.edu
On March 8, 2025, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestine activist at Columbia University, for using his right to free speech. A U.S. court has ruled the Donald Trump administration is within their rights to deport Khalil, a legal permanent resident, on the basis that his “presence in the U.S. was adverse to American foreign policy interests.”
On April 5, 2025, the federal government terminated the F-1 visas of seven international students and five recent alumni from UC Davis, without any explicit explanation. Now, the numbers have risen to 14 current students and nine graduates.
Although there is no evidence released that links these UC Davis students to pro-Palestine protests, the Trump administration has stated they are actively deporting international students across the country for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. Not only is this an infringement on the rights of international students, but it is also an outright censorship regime meant to inflict fear upon students for speaking out.
By threatening deportation as a punishment for involvement in pro-Palestine protests, the Trump administration is trying to set a standard of conformity. Being in the U.S. means conforming to “American foreign policy interests” — even if those interests mean endorsing the genocide of Palestinian people, according to the Trump administration.
International students, especially those who refuse to conform to the Trump administration’s beliefs, are now threatened with deportation — to be stripped from their homes, communities, friends and opportunities to achieve their goals at their respective universities.
By threatening and enacting deportations, the Trump administration is intentionally trying to silence the movement for a free Palestine. They want protesters to be scared to speak out, in fear of being deported next — so they will not speak out at all.
It’s certainly not new for the Trump administration to threaten deportation as a form of “punishment.” Since 2016, we have seen the Trump administration quite loudly mobilize to deport undocumented Latino immigrants in order to invoke fear amongst undocumented communities. Instead of giving undocumented immigrants the resources to get the right paperwork, ICE detains and deports as “punishment” for not entering the “proper” way.
For undocumented immigrants to advocate for themselves, they risk making their immigration status known — placing themselves and their families at a higher potential risk for deportation. In both immigration cases, the Trump administration benefits from each group’s fear. The quieter the opposition, the better.
It’s important to remember, however, that this is not solely the Trump administration’s doing. Both Zionist and anti-immigrant rhetoric is not a one-party issue. The Joe Biden administration financially supported Israel’s military and its genocide of the Palestinian people and deported the highest number of undocumented immigrants since 2014. As easy as it is to point the finger at Trump, the reality is that neither side is listening to the needs of the people. The Biden administration’s regressive politics in silence should not be overshadowed by the Trump administration’s loud and brash fear-mongering actions and suggest larger structural problems within our country.
That being said, the Trump administration’s reliance on fear rhetoric is especially dangerous at the current moment. He’s stripping people of their right to free speech and then holding people’s immigration status over their heads to prevent them from advocating for themselves and others.
Trump has built his entire campaign on fear-mongering. Lies like “they’re taking your jobs” and “they’re all terrorists and criminals” parade across Fox News to resonate with the fears of White Americans. He speaks to these racist and xenophobic fears with intention. He places the identity of the white man at risk so that he can strategically place himself as the hero to make their fear go away by deporting and displacing human beings.
Through Trump’s fear-inducing rhetoric, we have seen how he uses terror in two ways: in motivating and in silencing — the classic fight or flight. The Trump administration is doing both simultaneously. Through every enactment, he is motivating this white supremacist regime, prioritizing power and control over all else. At the same time, these enactments create uncertainty and fear for immigrants whose livelihoods are being put at risk.
We can either hide in fear or use this fear as motivation to continue to resist — there’s really only one option. We’ve seen this bravery already: International students continue to lead pro-Palestinian protests, and for decades, undocumented immigrants have actively advocated for themselves and their communities.
To every international, undocumented and immigrant student at UC Davis who is feeling anxious and uncertain right now, your choice to speak up is your own: but know that many students are standing with you. And, to those of you whose citizenship is not at risk: Use your voice — you have nothing to lose.
Written by: Tara Romero— tcrome@ucdavis.edu
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.
