Donald Trump is once again threatening colleges and university campuses, which have seen pro-Palestinian protests of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack.

This time, Trump is promising to revoke federal funding for institutions that allow for “illegal protests.”

Trump wrote on Truth Social, “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Some institutions, even private universities, have begun to pull back on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in response to Trump’s attacks on DEI.

Trump’s threat to crack down on “illegal protests” would likely run afoul of the First Amendment, as it is ill-defined.

Mehdi Hasan, the podcaster and former MSNBC host, wrote on X, “Trump here is is referring to pro-Palestine protests so you won’t hear a peep from conservatives or even pro-Israel liberals. But just imagine if this was Biden referring to ‘illegal protests’ by conservative students or pro-life groups. Free speech brigade would be going mad!”

Despite proclaiming that his administration would restore free speech, Trump has moved to stifle it. He has threatened to pull FCC licenses of media outlets over their coverage, while his FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, has launched investigations and inquiries into major media companies. The White House also has banned the Associated Press from Oval Office and other events because the wire service declined to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.