The Trump Administration may be aligned with what in effect is a civilian militia-type group, Betar, to identify international students to deport. Timothy Snyder writes how autocratic aspirants use private armies in extra-legal ways to further their cause. Betar might be likened to Proud Boys, an organization it has reportedly praised.

Secretary of State Rubio said that some 300 student visas have or are being cancelled: ““We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” Rubio said, referring to student protesters. “I hope at some point we run out because we have gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.”

Cancellations of visas are apace with no visibility except mostly through campus – related media. Stanford, University of Massachusetts / Amherst. Arizona State University and Colorado University have reported revocations, without any notice or explanation to university officials or any other public announcement.

Reports of a pro-Isreal group Betar providing names of persons they wish deported to ICE – here and here are articles published about Betar.

@Clashreport: Zionist organization Betar is compiling lists of foreign students in the U.S. who have supported Hamas or joined anti-Israel protests, aiming for their deportation under Trump’s proposed policies. Betar uses facial recognition and database technology to identify individuals involved in what it calls “antisemitic protests.” The list includes about 30 students from countries like Jordan, Syria, and the UK, attending universities such as Columbia, UCLA, and Carnegie Mellon. Here is an article about how Betar is working to deport students.

Betar itself says it is working towards deporting persons. Here are tweets from @Betar_USA: We told you we have been working on deportations and will continue to do so. Expect naturalized citizens to start being picked up within the month. You heard it here first. Those who support jihad and intifada and originate in terrorist states will be sent back to those lands.

The Anti-Defamation League in February labeled Betar as an extremist group. In its profile of the group it says it “openly embraces Islamophobia and harasses Muslims online and in person. The group has indicated that they would like to work with the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group with a history of antisemitism and Islamophobia, to “counter Islamic jihadis.”

On April 3, the League, noting a “disturbing pattern,” called for the Administration to show more respect for law in its deportation of students.  In a press release, “[Anti-Defamation League CEO] Jonathan Greenblatt is asking the Trump administration for greater transparency as it pursues further deportations, arguing that standing up for Jewish students does not require trampling on the rights of others.”

Canary Mission is another group which labels people they don’t like as anti-semitic.