A senior U.S. immigration official testified Wednesday that "most" names of student protesters Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was asked to investigate earlier this year came from the controversial pro-Israel website Canary Mission.
Peter Hatch, a top ICE official, made the admission during a federal trial in Boston probing whether the Trump administration operates an “ideological deportation” policy. The website, which profiles pro-Palestinian activists, contributed over 5,000 names to the list reviewed by ICE analysts, Hatch said.
The names were gathered by a Department of Homeland Security “Tiger Team” formed in March to investigate student protesters. Hatch said DHS diverted analysts from counterterrorism and cybercrime units to compile reports, which were submitted to the State Department.
While Hatch noted Canary Mission was not treated as an authoritative source, he admitted it was the most comprehensive. The ongoing trial will determine whether this effort violates free speech protections.
