The Trump administration has taken a harsh stance against Pro-Palestinian and Gaza protests in the US by deporting immigrant students, despite them being legal permanent residents of the country. Foreign national students who participated in or led pro-Palestinian protests are having their rights and freedoms stifled.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, is in the spotlight after an immigration judge ruled on Apr. 11 that he is eligible to be deported. Khalil, 30, was detained on Mar. 8 by federal authorities for helping lead student protests against the war in Gaza. He has been in custody at the Louisiana immigration detention center.
Khalil is a US green card holder but the Trump administration is adamant on deporting him because he led activities aligned to Hamas, which is a designated terrorist group. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a short memo, stated that Khalil’s current or expected beliefs, statements, or associations were counter to foreign policy interests. It said this is sufficient evidence to remove a lawful permanent resident from the United States.
However, Khalil’s legal team said their client was subject to a charade of due process, a flagrant violation of his right to a fair hearing, and weaponization of immigration law to suppress dissent. They told the court that if Mahmoud can be targeted simply for speaking out for Palestinians and exercising his constitutionally protected right to free speech, the same can happen to anyone over any issue the Trump administration dislikes.
Also Read: Migrants To Self-Deport After Trump Administration Revokes Legal Status of CBP One App
Mahmoud Khalil: US No Longer Land of the Free
Senator Chris Murphy has sounded the alarm about President Trump’s coordinated effort to dismantle the pillars of American democracy. He warned that attacks on journalists, universities, lawyers, and the business community are eroding the institutions that hold leaders accountable. Murphy told the Senate the Trump administration is following the same playbook of authoritarian regimes like in Venezuela.
He highlighted that Trump’s decision to target universities that permit criticism of President Trump is bone-chilling. “He pretends like he’s standing up to anti-Semitism on campuses, but what he’s really trying to do is make it clear that protests against his policies on campuses will result in federal funding being cutoff.”
Murphy added that Columbia University was forced to agree to a list of free speech concessions to gain assurances from President Trump that their federal funding would continue.
