By Nico Levitan, age 12
Ever since President Donald Trump began his second administration, there has been a rise in government censorship. The Trump administration says that it is limiting “federal censorship,” according to an executive order, but it is really restricting any speech that frames it negatively.
For example, in September, the Trump administration threatened ABC when late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made a comment on his show about the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s show was briefly suspended as a result. According to The New York Times, the Trump administration has also sued other major media organizations. He even halted federal funding for PBS and NPR. Although other presidents have also been upset by opposition to them in the media, none have used their power to pressure the public in this way, according to The New York Times.
Fortunately, a lot of speech is protected by the First Amendment. The First Amendment is a constitutional amendment passed in 1791 that protects the right to free speech, belief, and association. The First Amendment is important because it protects people who have different political views from being punished by the government. The government is now claiming that the speech they are prohibiting is “hate speech,” which is speech that is intended to incite violence against someone or something. However, most of this speech is protected by the First Amendment, no matter how much someone doesn’t want to hear it. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, when controversial opinions become “hate speech” or even illegal is usually a matter of opinion.
Many international students who participated in college protests have been targeted by the Trump administration and even deported as a result of their political views, which goes against their First Amendment rights. Mahmoud Khalil was a Columbia University student who was one of the first to be targeted and detained by the Trump administration for his participation in pro-Palestine protests. He was detained at an immigration facility for three months, missing his son’s birth, before a judge ordered his release.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked hundreds of the pro-Palestine immigrant students’ visas, according to Al Jazeera. The Trump administration justified deporting these students by saying that foreign students have minimal rights and can be removed for violating the privileges of being in the United States. In September, Federal Judge William Young ruled that what President Trump is doing is a violation of his oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. According to Judge Young, pro-Palestine and anti-Israel activism is not the same as supporting terrorism, as the Trump administration says. This deportation drive is illegal, according to Young’s ruling, because immigrants, including foreign students, are protected by the Constitution.
It’s important for readers of all ages to know about the censorship that is happening from the government. Readers need to be aware of what’s going on and be aware that many news stations might not be sharing the full truth, or any of it.
