“It starts with the keffiyehs, and ends with the pride flags,” said Dr. Akiva Leibowitz during an interview with Sampan last week. A Brookline resident who has seen firsthand how even his neighbors could attack free speech, the parent was talking about the crackdowns of freedom of expression at every level of society over the past year and a half. Leibowitz, a critical care anesthesiologist, was just weeks earlier vying for a seat in the crowded race for Brookline’s school […]

Sampan’s Hong Kong-based reporter Darren Liu asked several young adults from abroad whether the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants made them think twice about studying in the U.S. That was in mid-March and the views were mixed. Liu recently followed up with the students after several high-profile abductions and detentions of university students and graduates occurred — including many with no criminal charges  —  and student visa cancellations. Here is what these students are thinking now as many have grown more cautious: […]