House Democrats are demanding that President Donald Trump’s administration release a pro-Hamas agitator who led anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.
Democrat lawmakers are expressing outrage that Syrian national Mahmoud Khalil is facing deportation after his visa and green card were revoked by federal authorities.
During a Tuesday news conference on Capitol Hill, Rep. Deila Ramirez (D-IL) declared: “Free Mahmoud Khalil!”
Ramirez was joined by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who has also been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s decision to detain the anti-Semitic activist.
Following the news conference, Ramirez said:
“The idea that this government believes that they can target people because they dare to dissent, and they don’t agree with what the president is doing for this specific.
“While we may not all we may not agree with everything he may or may have not said as a student at Columbia, I think you should be asking yourself, perhaps you don’t agree with me.
“I don’t agree with you. Or should you be criminalized for daring to speak up for what you believe is injustice?”
Khalil has graduated from Columbia, and while he may have entered the country legally, his student visa was soon expiring.
However, he obtained a green card by marrying an American woman.
Nevertheless, his role in leading the months of protests on the school’s campus led federal immigration authorities to revoke Khalil’s green card.
According to officials, Khalil was distributing propaganda leaflets on behalf of Hamas terrorists.
“We’ve done some letters and stuff,” Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) warned.
“I think we’ve gotta give everyone due process rights, you know, especially folks that are legally here as the Columbia students,” he added.
“Obviously, let’s uphold the law.”
Others, such as Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), expressed a belief that Khalil’s detainment is cause for concern.
“I don’t like his position,” Frankel said of Khalil’s pro-Hamas views.
“I don’t like what he has said.
“I don’t like the disruptive students trying to go to school, but I will say this: This is a country.
“We’re supposed to be a democracy,” she incorrectly claimed.
“Freedom of speech is in our constitution.”
“And before anybody is arrested, you should have good probable cause,” she continued.
“Absolutely before anybody is held and deported, there absolutely has to be full legal rights and due process.”
30-year-old Khalil was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on March 8.
In a court brief dated Sunday, the U.S. government outlined its arguments for keeping Khalil in custody while his removal proceedings continue.
The department says Khalil fraudulently applied to change his immigration status without fully disclosing his “membership in certain organization,” which could be grounds for deportation.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Sunday that the fact he allegedly lied on his application provided an “independent basis” to deport him, overriding free speech rights.
“Regardless of his allegations concerning political speech, Khalil withheld membership in certain organizations and failed to disclose continuing employment by the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut when he submitted his adjustment of status application,” the DOJ said.
“It is black-letter law that misrepresentations in this context are not protected speech.”
President Trump himself has backed the decision as a result of his administration’s crackdown.
Trump thanked ICE for taking Khalil into custody in a Truth Social post on March 10.
“Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University,” Trump posted.
“This is the first arrest of many to come.
“We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it.”
“Many are not students, they are paid agitators. We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again,” the president added.
“If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here.
“We expect every one of America’s Colleges and Universities to comply. Thank you!”
The Trump White House took away $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University as a result of its encampment-style protests that made waves last year.
Another alleged Columbia protester, Ranjani Srinivasan, self-deported back to India after having her student visa nixed.
Radical pro-Hamas leftist Leqaa Kordia was also arrested for allegedly overstaying her student visa.
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