A federal judge has proposed extending protections against deportation for noncitizen student activists in litigation over First Amendment rights, and the court has scheduled follow-up hearings to decide next steps. The proposal came in a case challenging administration moves to deport students involved in campus protests and political activism; attorneys and advocacy groups on both sides briefed the court on procedural and constitutional issues. The proceedings build on a sweeping September finding that noncitizen students have the same free-speech protections as citizens. University counsel, immigrant-rights lawyers, and federal prosecutors are now litigating whether those protections should bar immigration enforcement actions tied to political expression on campus. Colleges with international students should reassess campus safety, legal-aid capacity and communications protocols—because outcomes could reshape how institutions coordinate with immigration authorities and support noncitizen scholars under threat of removal.