Democrats rallied behind anti-Israel agitator Mahmoud Khalil after he was detained by President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, arguing that the move was “fascist” and “authoritarian.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the administration’s plan to strip visas or green cards from anyone participating in activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terror organization.
“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” he said.
The Senate Judiciary Democrats responded from their official X account, saying, “ICE just DETAINED a lawful permanent resident and recent grad student in the middle of the night … because Mahmoud exercised his First Amendment rights in a way Donald Trump didn’t like. Straight up authoritarianism.”
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a similar message from his personal account: “Detaining a recent grad student for exercising his right to free speech is something we’d expect from Russia—NOT AMERICA. Punishing speech by revoking legal immigration status is dangerous.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) called for Khalil to be freed, doubling down on previous statements and blaming Israel for the fact that he and others were protesting in the first place.
“Free Mahmoud Khalil. This is straight out of the fascist playbook. Criminalizing dissent is an assault on our First Amendment and freedom of speech. Revoking someone’s green card for expressing their political opinion is illegal. Protesting genocide is not a crime,” she argued.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also joined in, taking a similar tone.
“If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too,” she asserted. “Anyone – left, right, or center – who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now.”
Senate Judiciary Dems defended Khalil again, saying, “Free Mahmoud Khalil.”
But the White House has made it clear that pro-Hamas demonstrations — and those involved in them — will face serious consequences from this administration.
“SHALOM, MAHMOUD. ‘ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of @Columbia University. This is the first arrest of many to come.’ –President Donald J. Trump,” a recent post from the White House read.
