Tensions Soar as Mahmoud Khalil is detained by ICE

Last weekend, in the middle of the night, Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was arrested as he returned to his apartment. He was arrested by the Department of Homeland Security, who claimed that his permanent resident card would be revoked. His arrest sparked outrage from everywhere- including some very interesting places- as President Donald Trump, and even Sec. of State. Marco Rubio seemed to take a very personal stake in his arrest. After his arrest, Khalil disappeared, and was not able to contact lawyers or his family. After several days, it was revealed that he is being held in Louisiana, far away from his family, his home state of New York, and his attorneys. Columbia University is silent as protestors gather to defend the first amendment right to freedom of speech, and against the violence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on campus. 

Khalil was not charged with a crime; in fact, he broke no laws to be arrested for, much less deported for. Khalil was not in the country on a student visa- he is a lawful permanent resident, who had followed all the steps to be legally admitted into the United States. Furthermore, his wife is a born American citizen, and the two were not shown a warrant before Khalil’s arrest on Saturday night. Khalil served as a negotiator for students as they bargained with Columbia University’s encampments, and was reportedly worried about any legal backlash he would face despite his legal status and the first amendment protections for his actions. In fact, universities and students are known in the American tradition to have powerful movements, including descent over U.S. foreign policy, such as that during the invasion of Iraq, and the Vietnam war. Students, both American and foreign, have been at the forefront of protest, especially at elite institutions, where future lawmakers, global activists, and the brightest minds are gathering and flexing their abilities to debate and reason. 

What is not normal, however, is the magnitude by which these campus-wide protests became increasingly dangerous to protestors. Quickly, Israeli activist groups began using surveillance to dox not only students but their families, including driving trucks plastered with images of protestors around their parent’s neighborhoods. Students from Israeli aligned groups at the schools provided material support for harassment and violence against protestors, and Columbia University has already had an administration change due to its inability to handle the divisive topic. Now, the President and Secretary of State are involved- allegedly using Mahmoud Khalil as a warning to all international students- apparently irrespective of their actual immigration status: Dissent from American foreign policy agendas- especially concerning Israel-is not welcome. According to Rubio, Khalil’s crime is “aligning” himself with a known terrorist group- a term which has no real legal definition, and is demonstrably false. Regardless, equating criticizing Israel with terrorism is an incredibly dangerous precedent to set, as not only is it a fundamental right to be able to comment on a foreign country, Americans are even allowed to criticize their own- a known right which helps to distinguish America from fascist regimes across the globe. Equating criticizing Israel, or even American foreign policy with terrorism allows a dangerous blanket of permissibility with regards to law enforcement and the American government, and is reminiscent of the Patriot Act during the war on terror. The Patriot Act is known to have led to a massive overreach of overturning civil liberties in the interest of ‘national security’ and is now scrutinized by civil rights groups, and the government itself. 

Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest has been met with national outrage from civil rights groups and free speech enthusiasts. He is being represented by many different civil rights groups including the ACLU, who are demanding formal charges against him, and immigration attorneys who are trying to ensure that he can remain in the United States. Those who support his arrest are dabbling in anti-Islamic, anti-immigrant, and pro-fascist ideologies on X and by other means. This includes the president, who tweeted “Shalom, Mahmoud” on his account, marking his interest in the case and showing his involvement in this particular display of quashing American civil liberties. Other notable takes come from Laura Loomer, and Ann Coulter, two right wing personalities with radically different takes. It is clear that this issue is divisive, but also a turning point for America. Accepting that free speech, including engaging in peaceful protest, will lead to carceral punishment puts American liberties on the line- and formalizes the idea that no one is allowed to criticize American foreign policy. The message being sent now is that to criticize Israel- a foreign state currently committing genocide in Gaza, is tantamount to aligning oneself with terrorism, and is punishable by law. Many experts say that if Mahmoud Khalil is deported- it will create a chain reaction of overturning civil liberties that will impact us all, citizens and non citizens alike.