Private groups used facial recognition to identify and target foreign student protesters for deportation
Private pro-Israel groups used facial recognition to identify foreign student protesters participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with a right-wing Jewish group submitting a list to Trump administration officials seeking deportation. Other groups coordinated supporters to report foreign students to Immigration authorities, raising concerns among activists about surveillance and jeopardized legal status.
What happened
Private pro-Israel groups used facial-recognition software to identify campus protesters participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and to unmask covered faces. A right-wing Jewish group submitted a list of identified protesters to administration officials, seeking deportation under President Donald Trump's March 2025 order calling for expulsion of foreign students who participated in 'pro-jihadist' protests of the Gaza war.
A New York computer engineer built a facial-recognition tool designed to identify masked protesters and discussed licensing it to other pro-Israel groups. In January 2025, the tool was used to identify a protester at a New York rally despite her face being covered by a mask and headscarf, and the company publicly announced the successful identification.
Pro-Israel groups also organized supporters to report foreign students and faculty directly to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, with Elizabeth Rand, president of Mothers Against Campus Antisemitism, posting a call to her Facebook followers on January 21 to file complaints against foreign students and faculty who support Hamas, including a link to an ICE tip line.
Reported impact
Foreign students expressed concern that their protest participation could jeopardize their legal status. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student of Palestinian descent who helped lead demonstrations, was arrested on March 8, 2025, and a Tufts University student from Turkey was detained outside Boston.
Advocacy groups characterized the practice as blurring the line between public law enforcement and private surveillance. Abed Ayoub, national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, stated that 'Essentially the administration is outsourcing surveillance.'
Index analysis
The use of facial-recognition technology by private groups entered territory previously reserved for law enforcement, according to attorney Sejal Zota, who represents California activists in litigation against facial-recognition company ClearviewAI. The practice raises questions about private entities becoming complicit in government tracking and monitoring of dissent.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.