The Trump administration has, through its attempted deportation of college students vocally critical of Israel, made clear that it does not believe free speech applies to foreign-born residents. Substack, the popular online publishing platform, is aligning itself with free expression. The company announced that it will partner with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to offer legal support for foreign writers “residing lawfully” in the United States who are targeted by the government for their writing.
Substack already offers legal support to writers on its platform through Defender, a program that connects writers who face legal challenges to media lawyers who provide free advice and direction, as well as subsidizing the cost of mounting a defense. Notably, in the company’s announcement with FIRE, it urged writers who are facing government persecution to get in touch “whether or not you publish on Substack.”
In addition to Substack’s Defender program, FIRE also has a legal defense program for journalists, as well as one for university faculty and student journalists. Both programs offer guidance and resources for those facing litigation, as well as the potential that FIRE will help pay the legal fees for the legal challenge.
The organizations’ decision to offer support for vulnerable writers comes at a time when things feel particularly tenuous for critics of not just the Trump administration itself, but its allies and interests. Last week, Marco Rubio indicated that at least 300 students have been targeted by immigration officers for deportation and had their visas revoked. Rümeysa Öztürk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, was arrested last week for—as best as anyone can tell—co-writing an op-ed in her university newspaper that described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a genocide.
Öztürk is just the latest instance of students engaged in criticism of Israel and support for Palestine who have been targeted by the Trump administration—the most noteworthy being Mahmoud Khalil, who was disappeared by ICE agents and had his green card status revoked for his role in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Columbia University’s campus.
There are some who are a bit dubious of Substack’s judgement when it comes to the types of speech that it defends, given the company’s decision to go to bat for outright Nazis who use its platform. Back in 2023, the company defended its choice not to remove publishers who expressed white nationalist and Nazi ideology, allowing them to continue monetizing their content on the platform. That led to a revolt of some writers who ditched Substack over its decision.
English (US) ·