What is Betar US, the group pushing to deport pro-Palestinian college students? | Israel-Palestine battle News | USAEMALL.com

Several pro-Israel groups have come out in support of United States President Donald Trump’s push to expel and deport students for participating in pro-Palestine protests on US campuses.

One of the most prominent among them is Betar US, a group that says it is sharing the names of pro-Palestinian protesters with the Trump administration.

The Trump administration has detained Palestinian Columbia University graduate and activist Mahmoud Khalil and an Indian postdoctoral scholar at Georgetown University, Badar Khan Suri, and is attempting to deport them.

Trump has promised to deport students who protested last year against Israel’s war on Gaza and who demanded that US universities divest from companies linked to Israel.

So what is Betar US, why is it pushing for the deportation of pro-Palestinian protesters, what criticism has it faced, and what are the other groups supporting Trump’s moves against campus protests?

What is Betar US?

Betar US is a branch of Betar, a Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who promoted the idea of strong Jewish militarism and territorial expansion. The group says it has branches across the world, including chapters throughout the US.

“Our movement has changed the course of the Jewish world. We are the fastest growing Zionist movement worldwide with more than 35 chapters, including throughout Europe, Latin America, Australia and the United States,” Daniel Levy, spokesperson for Betar US, told Al Jazeera by email.

“We are loud, proud, aggressive and unapologetically Zionist. We aren’t the nice, polite Jews we are the loud proud Zionists,” the group says on its website.

Zionism is a nationalist and political ideology originating in 19th-century Europe that called for the creation of a Jewish state.

Betar US works “on campus, in cities, in the media, in business communities and on the streets”, according to its website.

But critics have questioned the gulf between the group’s bold advocacy of its views and the limited information about Betar US leaders and members available on its public platforms, including its website.

Jenin Younes, a civil liberties and free speech lawyer, said the secrecy was “unusual”.

“They claim to be loud and proud,” she said, “but their website does not say who their employees are. That is somewhat unusual for a nonprofit that has received tax-exempt status from the state of New York.”

“It suggests that they are trying to shield themselves from accountability,” Younes said.

Betar US, however, rejected suggestions that it had anything to hide. “Betar in the US is a 501c3 non-profit and in full compliance with all rules and regulations and filings,” Levy told Al Jazeera.

Who is Betar US targeting?

Since the campus protests erupted last year, Betar US has doxxed pro-Palestinian students. “We’ve provided his name to the government! And many more,” Betar posted on X in January, referring to Khalil.

In the same X thread, the group posted a video with Khalil giving an interview, and accused him of saying “Zionists don’t deserve to live while he’s on a visa”. But in the clip shared by Betar US, Khalil does not say that.

Two days after Khalil was arrested, Betar US posted a message on X in which they openly declared their intent to have pro-Palestinian students expelled. In the widely shared post, the group said: “We told you we have been working on deportations and will continue to do so. Expect naturalised citizens to start being picked up within the month.”

In the statement to Al Jazeera, Betar’s Levy confirmed that “we provided hundreds of names to the Trump Administration of visa holders, and naturalized Middle Easterners and foreigners”, who he claimed — without offering evidence — “support US designated terrorist organizations”.

“Those who come to the United States on visas or as naturalized citizens and encourage hate and violence will be deported,” Levy said.

The group also insists that those it is targeting in its lists are anti-Semitic. However, many civil rights organisations have in recent months raised concerns that pro-Israel groups and their supporters are conflating criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism, which they say hampers free speech in the US and other countries.

“Betar US is acting as a nonprofit organisation here in the US,” Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), told Al Jazeera. “But they are engaged in aggressive forms of harassment, going after First Amendment rights [which grants free speech].”

Ayoub called Betar US “a problematic entity that is causing a lot of concern”.

What has Betar US said on Gaza?

The group has openly called for a bloodbath in the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip, where Israel has resumed its devastating war. In a now-deleted post, Betar US responded to a list of names including hundreds of Palestinian babies killed in the enclave, saying: “Not enough. We demand blood in Gaza!”

On Tuesday, Israel launched a predawn strike in Gaza after a breakdown in talks for the second stage of the ceasefire, killing more than 400 people, including 174 children and women. Israel has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. The brutal Israeli response came after Hamas carried out an attack in Israel, killing 1,139 people and taking some 250 captive, dozens of whom remain in Gaza.

Betar’s social media accounts have repeatedly posted messages calling for violence and the expulsion of Palestinians from their land. In one post, the group said it “firmly supports the plan to remove Palestinians from Gaza”.

Younes, the civil liberties lawyer, recalled how in January, Betar US said in a post on X that they were going to disrupt a vigil for Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last year.

Betar US has been labelled an “extremist group” by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish advocacy group set up more than a century ago to combat anti-Semitism.

However, Levy said in his statement to Al Jazeera that the group was a “mainstream” Zionist organisation and represents “the majority of the Zionist and Israeli public”.

Levy dismissed ADL’s labelling of Betar as “extremist”. The ADL, he said, was a “radical, left-wing, woke” organisation. “Anyone calling Betar extremists is calling Zionism extremism,” he said.

Is Betar US backing Trump’s deportation plans?

Totally, it says.

“Those who come to the United States on visas or as naturalized citizens don’t have the right to come participate in Hamas events or support terrorist organisations,” Levy said. “We support the Trump Administration’s policy.”

However, Trump administration officials are yet to make public any evidence linking those who have been detained — including Khalil — to any support for Hamas or other organisations listed as “terrorist” groups in the US.

Khalil, who has been lodged in a detention facility in Louisiana, said on Tuesday he was a “political prisoner” in his first comments since his arrest by Department of Homeland Security officers on March 8. “My arrest was a direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza, which resumed in full force Monday night,” he wrote.

On March 7, before his arrest, Khalil had written an email to Katrina Armstrong, the interim president of Columbia University, asking her to “protect international students from doxing and from deportation”, citing threats by Betar.

Younes, the free speech lawyer, said the arrest “speaks to the sheer insanity and terror of the current moment”, especially if “the president of the United States” was taking Betar’s advice about whom to deport – something that has not yet been confirmed.

Betar, meanwhile, wants the Trump administration to do even more.

“While we thank the Trump Administration, we urge many more deportations and quicker,” Levy, the Betar spokesperson said.

Are there other groups supporting Trump’s crackdown?

Yes, but to different extents.

• ADL – The group has dubbed the campus protests as anti-Semitic and has backed Trump’s executive orders to combat anti-Semitism on campuses. However, it did not publicly support mass deportation campaigns.
• Mothers Against College Antisemitism (MACA) – The group claims to combat alleged anti-Semitism on college campuses and has welcomed Trump’s executive orders. It supports the deportation of Khalil and other pro-Palestinian activists it describes as Hamas supporters.
• Canary Mission – It is an online database that “documents individuals and organizations that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses and beyond”. It publishes personal information about people and institutions that it considers to be anti-Israel or anti-Semitic. It has welcomed Khalil’s arrest and called for the arrest of more students and faculty.

Are Trump’s planned deportations legal?

The legality of Trump’s deportation threats remains highly contentious.

According to Ayoub from the ADC, Trump’s deportation orders are technically legally enforceable. The administration has the authority to revoke the visas of foreign students under certain conditions – namely if a person is engaging in fraud, or has been deemed a national security threat, say experts.

However, Younes argued that the First Amendment of the US Constitution “does not differentiate application based upon immigration status”, and that these deportations are “unlawful”.

Khalil’s lawyers have approached the courts to have his deportation blocked.

More broadly, civil rights groups are alarmed over what they perceive as a crackdown on free speech, which is protected under the First Amendment.

Ayoub said universities have a responsibility to protect students.

“Universities have to stand by the right of all students to exercise their First Amendment rights to freedom of expression. They can’t engage in vilifying students or spreading information about them,” Ayoub said.

He warned that this situation creates a “chilling effect” where students are too afraid to speak up, affecting not just Palestinian activists, but all other activists.

Osama Abuirshaid, executive director of American Muslims for Palestine, echoed similar concerns, saying universities have “completely capitulated to pressure from big donors and the Trump administration”.

“These are some of the most difficult times to be a student of conscience and global citizen,” he told Al Jazeera.

Younes, the free speech lawyer, said with Trump’s executive orders in effect and groups like Betar US targeting students, foreign nationals, especially, should seek legal counsel immediately before engaging in pro-Palestine activity.

“Unfortunately, the safest thing to do is to remain silent now,” she said.