Author: Farah Najjar
Published on: 12/03/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
Mahmoud Khalil, 29, was arrested from his university residence in New York. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said they would revoke his permanent residency. President Donald Trump has criticized him as a “radical foreign pro-Hamas student” Khalil’s lawyer Amy Greer told Time magazine her client was being targeted for his political activism and opposition to Israeli policies. He has said his activism has no place for anti-Semitism. The Palestinian student was born and raised in Syria. Green card holders are not entirely immune from deportation, experts say. These conditions include committing crimes, engaging in fraud, or being deemed a national security threat. But political speech is not a valid reason for revocation, expert says. A civil liberties and free speech lawyer says the government appears to be claiming that Khalil constitutes a threat to national security. Trump’s executive orders were designed to target alleged anti-Semitism on university campuses. This speech includes “various types of criticism of the state of Israel”, Younes explained. The exact charges against Khalil remain unclear, but there is no clear evidence. The Department of Homeland Security said “Khalil led activities aligned with Hamas” but did not charge him with a crime. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration “will be revoking the visas. Students demanded that the university sever financial ties with organisations linked to the Israeli government and its defence industry. Since Khalil’s arrest, the movement has shifted to include demands for his release. More than 2.7 million people have signed a petition demanding Khalil’s release. Activists as well as media have been alarmed as they see the crackdown as an attack on the First Amendment protection of free speech.
Original: 1780 words
Summary: 277 words
Percent reduction: 84.44%
The Trump US can do anything it wants.
