Rubio Refuses To Say If There's Evidence Justifying Mahmoud Khalil's Arrest

One week aft national agents abducted Palestinian activistic Mahmoud Khalil for starring past year’s pupil protests astatine Columbia University ― and sparking nationwide choler implicit escaped code rights ― Secretary of State Marco Rubio inactive refuses to accidental whether the authorities adjacent has immoderate grounds to legally warrant revoking the man’s greenish paper and deporting him.

Khalil remains detained successful Louisiana arsenic of Sunday, a week aft plainclothes national migration agents arrested him without a warrant portion helium was coming backmost to his university-owned flat with his large wife, who recorded the interaction. The Columbia graduate’s lawyers are moving to get him transferred backmost to New York City.

Rubio has admitted to revoking Khalil’s greenish paper due to the fact that of his relation peacefully negotiating with Columbia’s medication connected behalf of the students nonviolently protesting Israel’s U.S.-funded subject run against Palestinians. The caput equated the anti-war protests with antisemitism and enactment for Hamas, an excuse that galore Jewish protesters person called bullshit.

“Negotiating connected behalf of radical that took implicit a campus, that vandalized buildings? Negotiation implicit what?” the caput told CBS’ “Face the Nation” connected Sunday. “That’s a transgression successful and of itself, that they’re progressive successful being the negotiator, the spokesperson, this that the other. We don’t request these radical successful our country. We ne'er should person allowed them successful in the archetypal place.”

Khalil has nary transgression history, and has not been charged with a transgression successful this incident. The White House itself said that Khalil’s greenish paper should beryllium revoked due to the fact that helium organized pupil protests, not due to the fact that helium has committed a crime.

Rubio defended Khalil’s attraction implicit the past week by citing a rarely-used proviso of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which vaguely states that the national authorities tin deport idiosyncratic if the caput of authorities personally believes determination are “reasonable grounds” to infer their beingness “would person perchance superior overseas argumentation consequences for the United States.”

On Sunday, Rubio could not supply immoderate grounds that would beryllium Khalil supports Hamas and truthful is eligible for deportation.

“Can you substantiate immoderate signifier of worldly enactment for terrorism, specifically to Hamas, from this Columbia student?” asked big Margaret Brennan. “Or was it conscionable helium espoused a arguable governmental constituent of view?”

“We’re gonna bash more. In fact, each time present we’re approving visa revocations ― and if that visa led to a greenish card, the greenish paper process arsenic well,” Rubio said, not answering the question. 

When Brennan asked doubly much if determination is immoderate grounds linking Khalil to terrorism, oregon whether his apprehension is conscionable based connected his constituent of view, Rubio told the writer she should “watch the news.”

“If you are successful this state to beforehand Hamas, to beforehand violent organizations, to enactment successful vandalism, to enactment successful acts of rebellion and riots connected campus, we ne'er would person fto you successful if we’d known that,” helium said. “And present that we know, you’re gonna leave.”

Everyone successful the U.S. is covered by the Constitution, including visa holders and imperishable residents similar Khalil. The activist’s lawyers accidental his detention violates his First Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights, and supporters who person protested regular for his merchandise accidental that this opens the gates for the Trump medication to proceed weaponizing migration and higher acquisition to crush constitutionally protected escaped speech.

Rubio’s comments connected Sunday are conscionable the latest successful medication officials dodging questions astir what circumstantial terror-supporting actions Khalil committed to warrant greenish paper revocation and deportation. Troy Edgar, the Department of Homeland Security’s lawman secretary, was grilled astir the contented for 5 minutes Thursday by an NPR reporter.

When NPR’s Michel Martin asked what circumstantial violent enactment Khalil was supporting, Edgar said the activistic was “agitating and supporting Hamas.” When Martin asked however precisely Khalil supported Hamas,” Edgar said, “I deliberation you tin spot it connected TV, right?”

Edgar did not straight reply whether it is simply a deportable discourtesy if idiosyncratic is criticizing oregon protesting Israel oregon the U.S. government.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) described Khalil arsenic the “mastermind” of past year’s protests, but could not accidental what circumstantial crimes the activistic committed that would warrant deportation.