Conor Fitzpatrick

The First Amendment does not permit the government to decide which words are acceptable for public discourse. That is particularly true during public comment periods at city council meetings, which are meant to give everyday Americans the opportunity to speak freely about public issues to those who govern their community.

Since March 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration have waged an unprecedented assault on free speech, targeting foreign university students for deportation based on bedrock protected speech like writing op-eds and peacefully attending protests. Their attack is casting a pall of fear over millions of noncitizens, who worry that voicing the “wrong” opinion about America or Israel will result in deportation. Noncitizens in the United States have First Amendment rights.

President Donald Trump’s aggressive approach on immigration has sparked an outcry, but as a long-time criminal defense attorney in the sanctuary city of New York, I believe the president’s hardline approach to curb illegal immigration is the tough love that this city – and the country – needs.