In an unprecedented move that raises serious concerns over civil liberties in Germany, the country is moving to deport four young foreign residents on allegations related to participation in protests against Israel’s genocidal war against the people of Gaza.

The Intercept reported on Tuesday that the deportation orders were issued by the country’s immigration authorities under German migration law.

Cooper Longbottom, Kasia Wlaszczyk, Shane O’Brien, and Roberta Murray are the four people being deported. They are citizens of, respectively, the United States, Poland, and, in the latter two cases, Ireland.

None of the four has been convicted of any crimes. The orders are set to take effect in less than a month.

The head of the state of Berlin’s immigration agency issued the deportation orders amid political pressure and over internal objections.

The internal strife arose because three of those targeted for deportation are citizens of European Union member states who normally enjoy freedom of movement between EU countries, The Intercept reported.

Lawyers are drawing comparisons between these cases and Washington’s use of deportation orders to suppress social movements.

“What we’re seeing here is straight out of the far right’s playbook,” said Alexander Gorski, a lawyer representing two of the protesters.

“You can see it in the U.S. and Germany, too: political dissent is silenced by targeting the migration status of protesters,” he said.

“From a legal perspective, we were alarmed by the reasoning, which reminded us of the case of Mahmoud Khalil,” Gorski continued.

Gorski was referring to the Palestinian Columbia University graduate and US permanent resident who was seized from his apartment building on allegations related to campus pro-Palestine activities.

Thomas Oberhäuser, a lawyer and chair of the executive committee on migration law at the German Bar Association, said that under German migration law, authorities don’t need a criminal conviction to issue a deportation order.

“The key question is: How severe is the threat and how proportionate the response?” said Oberhäuser, who is not involved in the case. “If someone is being expelled simply for their political beliefs, that’s a massive overreach.”

Each of the four people faces separate allegations from the German authorities related to pro-Palestine protests and activism in Berlin.

The protests in question include a mass sit-in at the Berlin central train station, a road blockade, and the late-2024 occupation of a building at the Free University Berlin.

The only event that tied the four cases together was the allegation that the protesters participated in the university occupation, which involved property damage and alleged obstruction of an arrest.

None of the protesters are accused of any particular acts of vandalism or obstruction of an arrest at the university. Instead, the deportation order cites the suspicion that they took part in a coordinated group action.

Germany has been a staunch supporter of Israel for decades. Its lethal arms exports to the occupied territories have seen a tenfold increase after Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, making it an active participant in the genocide unfolding in the besieged Palestinian territory.

In November, the German parliament approved a controversial resolution supporting Israel, despite warnings that it violates fundamental freedoms and could stifle any criticism of the occupying regime.

The non-binding motion, titled “Never Again is Now: Protecting, Preserving, and Strengthening Jewish Life in Germany”, calls for a ban on public funding for any group “that spreads anti-Semitism, calls into question Israel’s right to exist or calls for a boycott of Israel.”

According to the resolution, those responsible for what is described as “anti-Semitic” acts in schools and universities should be excluded from classes or even expelled.

Many civil society organizations and intellectuals, including prominent Jewish scholars, have decried the resolution, warning that it may violate fundamental rights such as free expression, free assembly, freedom of science and artistic freedom.