Maryland Attorney General Joins Coalition to Defend Free Speech for Noncitizen Students

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in filing a multistate legal brief aimed at protecting the First Amendment rights of noncitizen students and faculty. The coalition is supporting The Stanford Daily, a student-run newspaper, in its lawsuit against the Trump administration’s “Ideological Deportation Policy.” This policy, established by executive orders in early 2025, targets individuals with lawful status in the United States, particularly students and academics, for deportation based on their political expressions.

The lawsuit, filed by The Stanford Daily in August 2025 against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, highlights the chilling effect of the administration’s policy. The newspaper reported that international student journalists have expressed fear that their reporting could lead to deportation, prompting some to decline assignments, remove their bylines, or resign from their positions. Attorneys General Brown and the coalition contend that the administration’s use of deportation as a tool to suppress political speech, especially from those lawfully present in the U.S., is unconstitutional and harmful to academic institutions and the broader society.

The coalition argues that the Trump administration’s policy not only infringes upon fundamental free speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment but also poses a threat to the economic vitality and societal enrichment of the participating states. They assert that by targeting individuals based on their political beliefs, the administration undermines the purpose of higher education and damages the ability of states to attract a diverse range of global talent essential for growth in key industries. The brief emphasizes that immigrant students and faculty contribute significantly to academic discourse, research advancements, and the global competitiveness of American universities.

This legal action comes in the wake of a recent ruling by the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts in a related case, American Association of University Professors v. Rubio. In that decision, the court affirmed that First Amendment protections extend equally to both citizens and lawfully present noncitizens. The attorneys general supporting The Stanford Daily are advocating for a similar affirmation that the government cannot weaponize immigration enforcement to punish protected speech.

The coalition filing the amicus brief includes the Attorneys General from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, in addition to Maryland.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

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