The Trump administration is trying to deport 30-year-old Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who was arrested by ICE agents over the weekend, for activity that is “contrary” to US foreign policy based on his involvement in protests critical of Israel’s war on Gaza at Columbia University.
A White House official told The Free Press that Khalil’s activity was a “threat to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States.”
“The allegation here is not that he was breaking the law,” the official told The Free Press. “He was mobilizing support for Hamas and spreading antisemitism in a way that is contrary to the foreign policy of the US.”
US officials have labeled pro-Palestine protests “antisemitic” even though many Jewish students participated in and helped organize the demonstrations.
The White House official said the basis for targeting Khalil is being used as a blueprint to target other foreign students either on visas or green cards, and more arrests at other schools are expected. “I suspect we’ll have other schools roped into this,” the official said.
At a White House press conference on Tuesday, Press Secretary Karolin Leavitt claimed Secretary of State Marco Rubio has the right to revoke the visa or green card of individuals who “are adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests” under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.
“Mahmoud Khalil was an individual who was given the privilege of coming to this country to study at one of our nation’s finest universities and colleges,” Leavitt said. “And he took advantage of that opportunity, of that privilege by siding with terrorists.”
Leavitt also claimed that Khalil was involved in distributing “pro-Hamas propaganda fliers” but didn’t offer any evidence to back up the assertion.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) responded to Leavitt’s comments and said the law she appeared to be citing “requires the secretary of state to have ‘reasonable ground to believe’ the person’s ‘presence or activities in the United States . . . would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.'”
FIRE noted that in explaining how Khalil met the standard for deportation under the law, the administration “did not allege Khalil committed a crime” but did “explicitly cite the content of his speech.”
FIRE said that “protesting government policy is protected by the First Amendment, as is rhetorical support for a terrorist group.”
Khalil was born in Syria, has Algerian citizenship, and is of Palestinian descent. He is married to an American citizen who is eight months pregnant. Khalil was arrested at his Columbia University-owned apartment in New York City over the weekend by ICE agents and was taken to a detention facility in Louisiana.
For now, a federal judge is preventing Khalil from being deported. “To preserve the Court’s jurisdiction pending a ruling on the petition, Petitioner shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court orders otherwise,” Judge Jesse Furman of the Southern District of New York said in a court order in response to a petition filed by Khalil.
I certainly didn't vote to destroy Freedom of Speech in America. This is a red line when you try to criminalize political speech that you disagree with. We voted for "America First"—- NOT "Israel First".
There is no “we” on that subject if by “we” you mean “everyone who voted for Trump.”
Some people voted for Trump because they thought he might be better on the Palestine issue than Harris.
Some people voted for Trump because they thought he might be better on the Ukraine issue than Harris.
Some people voted for Trump because they thought he might be better on economic issues than Harris.
Some people voted for Trump because of a combination of those reasons, or for other reasons.
Probably at least half of those who voted for Trump did so because he had an “R” next to his name and they’ve always voted for the guy with the “R” next to his name.
And I did not vote for Trump again after i saw that a lot what he did in his first term was smoke and mirrors adn that he was the best con artist around.
Politics is theatre-Biden was a puppet,Trump a showman.
I agree except I'd say half of the votes were from cult members. Although the R's and D's are cults in themselves, I think Trump's cult members put Trump above party.
Some voted for him because he promised to bring down prices especially eggs.
“Grocery prices have skyrocketed. Cereals are up 26 percent, bread is up 24 percent, butter is up 37 percent, baby formula is up 30 percent, flour is up 38 percent, and eggs are up 46 percent,” he said. “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-egg-prices-shut-up-b2712527.html
No president has ever brought down the price of food.
"I certainly didn't vote to destroy Freedom of Speech in America…We voted for 'America First.'"
1/ Sorry, but you did vote to destroy it – America First was the distractor, the bait.
2/ And to be clear: "destroy" here means not just criminalizing dissenting speech, but – via the 2018 right-wing Citizens United decision – "allowing corporate money to flood the political marketplace [with its 'speech'] and corrupt democracy." (NYT below):
"How Conservatives Weaponized the First Amendment"
(NYT, 6/30/18)
3/ And now Trump's Vance is uncaging corporate money power more with a lawsuit to let monied parties hit newspapers with fantastically expensive lawsuits for speech they don't like:
"J. D. Vance Is Trying to Push Citizens United Further"
"Vance and other Republicans are spearheading a lawsuit that aims to get the Supreme Court to move beyond its Citizens United decision and tear up some of the last remaining rules designed to limit the influence of money in politics."
(Jacobin, 9/13/24)
So much for Free Speech?! Trump ain’t big on Democracy!…!…!
Democrats wouldn't even allow Arab-Americans the right to speak at their convention. They were figuratively told to make it easy on themselves and sit in the back of the bus.
All true, meaning both parties cater to Israel and the Zionist killers committing genocide adn neither party cares as long as money and weapons flow back and forth.
“Free speech” poseurs. The audacity to lecture the Europeans, who I have no respect for on this issue, but we have a first amendment right. We all do, even green card holders.
And wtf happened to the ACLU? They only seem invested in issues where their donations of influence lies.
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/aclu-strongly-condemns-unlawful-arrest-and-detention-of-columbia-student-activist
A statement is not a legal action. I used to donate, not anymore. When they try to solicit donations, they mail a survey, which I doubt they even consider because on the back side of it is where your credit card info goes. One of their first concerns is trans rights. Which is .O1% or there about in the population?*
Not one question on the persecution of Palestinians and free speech of students on campuses.
*and to be clear, most people already support trans rights in so far as no discrimination in work, housing, etc.
https://rumble.com/v6qa2s6-emma-vigeland-stuns-twitter-with-insane-take-on-trans-sports-injury.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp
I didn't say it was. You weren't specific about them not taking legal action. So, I posted that link.
I was directing my animosity to an organization that lost the plot, not you.
I know that. I was just 'splaining myself. I actually have lost a lot of respect I had for the ACLU too.
The Musk/Trump administration is anti life.
As was the Biden/Soros/BlackRock administration.
That's the sad but true situation. From the frying pan where everything gets burned up right into the flames of the fire.
When are presidents any less than killers?
Every single one.
Typical stupid excuses…!
“Mahmoud Khalil was an individual who was given the privilege of coming to this country to study at one of our nation’s finest universities and colleges,” Leavitt said. “And he took advantage of that opportunity, of that privilege by siding with terrorists.”
Leavitt also claimed that Khalil was involved in distributing “pro-Hamas propaganda fliers” but didn’t offer any evidence to back up the assertion.
Now, isn't she just a special little princess? And by princess, I mean, well, you know.
I give up, what do you mean by princess?
A kinder version starts with the letter B as in Bitch. The less kind version starts with a C as in, well, you know.
I cunt imagine what you are trying to say here. Was that "C" for Catholic?
I didn't want to be that nasty. 😉
no, she is the typical authoritarian Christian Nationalist, believing that she is above and beyond anyone else.
From the mop lady with her binders we get the cross lady with the air of a queen.
She can still be a "well , you know".
She's a Roman Catholic by religion
And?
So there will be deportations of aluminum tariff objectors?
"We’re now seeing escalations in western Zionism’s assault on civil rights on a daily basis. Pretty much every day I’m reading about at least one western government silencing criticism of Israel with some new authoritarian abuse. Zionism is the number one threat to free speech in our society."
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/03/11/even-more-assaults-on-free-speech-to-silence-criticism-of-israel/
"Words can’t express how disgusted I am with Trump supporters who defend their president stomping out speech rights for Israel after spending years wailing about the loss of free speech in America"
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/03/11/people-who-defend-trumps-assault-on-free-speech-are-mindless-sheep/
This comes as no surprise. The U.S. government has used this tactic in the past to deter people residing Stateside from protesting against wars the U.S. government is engaging in. During WWII the U.S. government interned at least some 11,000 people of German ancestry in the U.S. under the "Alien Enemies Act of 1798" as well as many Italians, and Japanese* . They were collectively put into internment camps with the justification that they were of "enemy ancestry." I am afraid Mahmoud Khalil's detention is just the start. There may already be several more that we do not know about. Take a queue from history. Get ready for more enemy ancestry detentions should the situation in the Middle-East get more volatile, or when events stop going the way the U.S. Government would like to see them go.
* https://gaic.info/history/world-war-ii-civil-liberties-violations-of-german-americans-and-german-latin-americans-by-the-united-states-government/
When war is lawfully declared, the constitution isn't always observed as it is in peacetime. But the internment was more of a propaganda ploy i.e. they were a 'clear and present danger' to try and convince the masses war was justified. Too bad people then didn't know what we know today. FDR provoked Japan into war to give Americans jobs due to large scale unemployment. Young men were sent off to fight, and the rest got war industry jobs. FDR and his henchmen were afraid of a communist revolution if something wasn't done about the unemployment situation. That would threaten the Plutocrats which FDR was one of.
Ian: What do we do about being under Crown law?
Jack Winthrop: l believe if they set aside their law as and when they wish, their law no longer has rightful authority over us. All they have over us then is tyranny. And l will not live under that yoke.
– Last of the Mohicans (1992)
I can't find anywhere where he violated laws on the books. And, how did he threaten national security? Maybe he violated Israel's security, but Israelis are also protesting Gaza policy. Talk about railroading. He's being railroaded without breaking any laws on the books. The US has illegal aliens who violate the law over and over, but they are allowed to stay. https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/if-obamas-priority-is-enforcement-why-are-so-many-illegal-immigrant-criminals-not-being-deported/
If one person burned the US flag, and another the Israel flag, both at the same time, which person would be arrested? That would be a good test of where freedom of expression is going.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The restriction is on CONGRESS and it recognizes the rights of THE PEOPLE. Not CITIZENS of the United States. Khalil is one of us.
Maybe that's why they say he didn't break any law. And that they are deporting him just cuz.
It started with “hate speech”. Then anti BDS laws, now it’s deportation of green card holders. Slow chipping away of the Bill of Rights to set new precedence. Nothing new.
First they came for the communist, and I said nothing….
The Palestinian Authority should make Khalif their UN representative or else give him a job as translator or whatever. That could get around the deportation order but obviously would restrict him to a small part of New York.
As much as I am disgusted with Trump's disregard for the first amendment, Democrats laid the ground work for this BS.
It started with Obama demanding Title IX kangaroo courts on campus, then evolved into speech-codes, enforced safe spaces, and other anti-first amendment garbage.
Elise the cow would not have had much to bloviate about had Columbia and other universities stayed true to American values of free discourse and expression. But they didn't and as a consequence were forced to engage in cuckoldry not seen since that 1970's film where Ron Jeremy played a milk man.
Democrats built the car and now Trump is using it to run over protestors.
“It started with the Sedition Act of 1798 …”
Fixed, no charge.
I recall something about "free speech zones' when Bush 2 was in office. This is a bipartisan issue just like war. When the other party isn't in office, they bitch about it.
For general free speech yes. However Obama pioneered turning college campus into “due process free zones”
Our Marinus van der Lubbe.
Another example of people who can't bear hearing opinions contrary to their own. And they whine about this for themselves from others all the while.
Targeting people for their political beliefs is Un-American: https://x.com/EricTrump/status/1898061264968204332
MAGA was supposed to be a bulwark against Cancel Culture and censorship: https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/1900220893575405909
miha schwartzenberg
@mihaschw
Most of the people who do not have jewish/Israeli kids students in the US Universities don’t quite get it – they think we are exagerating or “it was not that bad, just silly students protesting”.
Let me explain it to you, as a Mother of one-we had to move our kids out of the campuses, not just because of the protests and tents and blocking their access to…everywhere in campus – but because of the constant death threats, very dangerous and disgusting physical gestures, shouting and banging on their dorms doors, day and night, stupid and retarded jokes, violating their privacy in the commun bathrooms, fear of having God knows what in their food, because of the kefyieh people serving in their cantina, zvastikas and sick writings on their walls, class dissrupted freestyle, calling them humiliating names while in class and so on. Not one faculty member or anyone in the administration of these Universities did something, anything, to protect our children. Most of the Jewish students literally locked themselves in dorms, those who were lucky to share the room with a sane student. But those who had room-mates pro-palestine, had to move out. While we payed not just for the school, but for the dorms as well. It was the worst student year any jewish/Israeli ever imagined. In America. In elite schools, famous once for their high education, but even more famous now for their depraved antisemitism and lack of control over students and TEACHERS shouting for the murder of all Jewish people.
THIS ⬇️ right here is what we were waiting to hear for an entire year.
"Jewish students literally locked themselves in dorms"
Israel has had Palestinian students, that have earned scholarships to study at prestigious US Universities, locked up in the Gaza concentration camp for the last 20 years. These students have been unable to leave Gaza because of Israel's blockade, which I imagine you support.
"Don’t quite get it" ???? …. Perhaps that is you.