Trump "Deport Foreign Students Involved in Anti-War Protests if Re-elected"
As pro-Palestinian anti-war protests spread across American college campuses, a survey found that one in three companies are concerned about or reluctant to hire students who participated in the protests. Former President Donald Trump, who is running for the U.S. presidency this November, announced that if he successfully returns to the White House, he will deport foreign students who took part in the anti-war protests.
On the 27th (local time), Intelligent.com surveyed 1,268 U.S. employers and found that 30% of employers were concerned about hiring college graduates who participated in pro-Palestinian protests in the past six months. Additionally, 22% said they were reluctant to hire graduates who took part in these protests.
The top reason for avoiding hiring graduates who participated in the anti-war protests was the concern over "potential confrontational behavior in the workplace," cited by 63% of respondents. This was followed by "excessively political actions" at 59%, and "discomfort caused to other employees" at 55%.
Half of the employers surveyed said they asked recent graduates whether they had attended anti-war protests during the hiring process. Twelve percent said they "always ask," 19% said they "often ask," and 16% said they "sometimes ask."
Huy Nguyen, Chief Education and Career Development Advisor at Intelligent.com, analyzed, "With recent campus protests and a series of dramatic incidents being widely reported, employers want to avoid potential disruptions and conflicts in the workplace."
The war between the two sides, which began after the surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Israel in October last year, has continued for over seven months. Civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip have surged due to Israel's retaliatory strikes, and as the U.S. government pursues a pro-Israel policy, pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel anti-war protests have been spreading across U.S. college campuses since last month, starting with Columbia University in New York.
The reluctance of U.S. companies to hire students supporting Palestine also sparked controversy immediately after the war last year. When Harvard University students issued a letter supporting Hamas shortly after the war, Bill Ackman, a hedge fund magnate and chairman of Pershing Square Capital, demanded a list of the students who signed the letter and declared that they would be blacklisted from employment and never hired.
Meanwhile, former President Trump also stated that if re-elected, he would forcibly disperse pro-Palestinian protesters and deport foreign students.
At a private fundraising event held in New York on the 14th, he said, "I will deport any student who protests outside the United States," adding, "As you know, there are many foreign students, and when they hear this, they will behave." Regarding the Israel-Hamas war, he expressed support for Israel's right to continue its "war on terror."
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