Israel protest: How Trump administration’s demand for Instagram account access of students may have ‘forced’ prosecutors to quit

US President Donald Trump appointed Emily Bove, his former criminal defence attorney, to a top position at the Department of Justice (DOJ), following his victory. At her new position, Bove is reportedly pushing for an “aggressive” criminal investigation into Columbia University student activists, sparking significant conflict and a mass exodus of civil rights prosecutors. A recent report claims that Bove, who is now an associate deputy attorney general serving under Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche (another Trump criminal defence attorney), has allegedly advocated for accessing student activists' Instagram accounts and obtaining search warrants as part of a purported criminal inquiry into demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza. However, this pursuit has reportedly been opposed by federal prosecutors and a judge.
According to a report by The New York Times, prosecutors in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division feared that the investigation was a pretext designed to facilitate a potential Trump administration deportation campaign targeting campus dissent and consequently refused to compile a list of activist group members for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The report indicates these concerns contributed to the departure of these civil rights prosecutors.

Federal prosecutor Bove—known for representing former President Trump in several high-profile cases—pushed for a search warrant to seize Instagram posts by Columbia University’s Apartheid Divest group, alleging they constituted a “threat.”
A magistrate judge rejected the request for lack of probable cause and First Amendment concerns; after a second rejection and the threat of unsealing court discussions, Bove pressed for yet another appeal. She also reportedly instructed FBI agents to conduct a show-of-force presence on campus, prompting internal civil-rights objections.
This effort comes amid a broader crackdown on Palestinian activism at US universities, which was triggered by protests over Gaza. It's backed by Trump’s executive orders targeting “terrorist” sympathisers and threatening visa revocations.
Critics argue the administration is conflating legitimate protest with antisemitism, leading to arrests of international students and widespread visa cancellations under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Civil-rights groups are now litigating these deportation cases, even as previously detained activist Mohsen Mahdawi was released earlier this month.