>A recently unearthed interview featuring Pam Bondi, president-elect Donald Trump’s selection for U.S. Attorney General, showcases her support for deporting college students who protest against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Trump selected Bondi after his initial pick, former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew his nomination for Attorney General following allegations of sexual misconduct.
>Bondi’s comments, which were rediscovered last week, run counter to the freedoms and protections outlined in the First Amendment, which apply to both citizens and temporary residents in the U.S. “The thing that’s really the most troubling to me [are] these students in universities in our country, whether they’re here as Americans or if they’re here on student visas, and they’re out there saying ‘I support Hamas,'” Bondi, a staunch supporter of Israel, told Newsmax last year, as students across the country were demanding that universities divest from Israel’s indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.
>“Frankly they need to be taken out of our country,” Bondi said, “or the FBI needs to be interviewing them right away.” Although Bondi’s comments contradict the Constitution, Trump will likely defend her statements if they come under scrutiny during her confirmation hearings, as he himself issued a call to deport student protesters during his presidential campaign.
>“Any student that protests, I throw them out of the country,” Trump promised a group of donors in May.