Oli London on X - "George Floyd was a convicted felon who went to jail 8 times. He held a gun to a pregnant woman’s stomach during a robbery. Mahmoud Khalil led a violent protest at Columbia in support of Hamas. He led a campaign of terror against Jews. These are the ‘heroes’ of the Left."
Ben B@dejo on X - "Save and send these three images of 8 USC 1182 and 8 USC 1227 to anyone who says it is unlawful to deport non-citizens and non-nationals for expressing support for terrorist activities / organizations, or for any foreign policy reason at the discretion of the Secretary of State. Note that no “material” support of terrorism needs to be alleged and no formal crime must be committed. Mere speech suffices. Yes, it’s an ideological test. That’s the point! That’s the very purpose of these particular laws, and of much of American immigration law more broadly."
Thread by @MarkGoldfeder on Thread Reader App – Thread Reader App - "Dear @JudiciaryDems , You are so incredibly wrong, and I can prove it. A thread, in response to yours. The only difference? Mine has citations. Let me explain:
To begin, the Immigration and Nationality Act § 212(a)(3) contains a number of activities for which a person can be deemed ineligible based on security and related grounds. Subsection (B)(i) has nine grounds related to terrorism. Most of the nine are not controversial at all- people engaging in terrorism, etc. The one that has you all indignant is ground number (VII): [Any alien who] endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization; You say you are concerned that this ground would violate the First Amendment rights of someone like Mahmoud Khalil. Let's examine that contention.
First, let us be clear that you are not arguing that he has not endorsed or supported terror. I say this because if only you expressed any concern about the people he has been terrifying for over a year, maybe I would have some sympathy for your crocodile tears now. You didn't. So the question becomes: Are his First Amendment rights the exact same as a citizen's First Amendment rights? The answer may surprise you: Not exactly, but it does not matter. At least some First Amendment protections do apply differently to aliens than they do to citizens. Ready for those citations? See, for example. Citizens United v. FEC 558 U.S. 3 I0, 419-424 & n.51 (2010):
"The Government routinely places special restrictions on the speech rights of students, prisoners, members of the Armed Forces, foreigners, and its own employees. When such restrictions are justified by a legitimate governmental interest, they do not necessarily raise constitutional problems... the constitutional rights of certain categories of speakers, in certain contexts, “ ‘are not automatically coextensive with the rights’ ” that are normally accorded to members of our society, Morse v. Frederick , 551 U. S. 393, 396–397, 404 (2007) (quoting Bethel School Dist. No. 403 v. Fraser , 478 U. S. 675, 682 (1986))."
Now, my dear Dems, are there any cases discussing the types of ways in which speech rights might be applied differently to foreigners who do specific things, including advocating for certain group that for good reason, considers dangerous and a threat to national security? Why yes! Thank you for asking. In fact, there is over 120 years of Supreme Court precedent! See Turner v. Williams, 194 U.S. 279 (1904) (This case was about anarchists who wanted to violently overthrow the government, but you can substitute Hamas affiliated anti-West agitators who want to...violently overthrow our institutions):
"...Congress was of opinion that the tendency of the general exploitation of such views is so dangerous to the public weal that aliens who hold and advocate them would be undesirable additions to our population, whether permanently or temporarily, whether many or few; and, in the light of previous decisions, the act, even in this aspect, would not be unconstitutional, as applicable to any alien who is opposed to all organized government... We are not to be understood as depreciating the vital importance of freedom of speech and of the press, or as suggesting limitations on the spirit of liberty, in itself, unconquerable, but this case does not involve those considerations. The flaming brand which guards the realm where no human government is needed still bars the entrance, and as lone as human governments endure, they cannot be denied the power of self-preservation, as that question is presented here."
So our first conclusion is this: The First Amendment might apply with some conditions to foreigners, and based on Supreme Court precedent this is literally one of those conditions. Now, suppose you don't like those cases, and feel that we should undergo a more traditional First Amendment analysis. No problem- guess who still gets deported? You see, a restriction like this, which is content-based, would be subject to strict scrutiny review. What does that mean, you ask? You really should know this one- @SenTedCruz and @HawleyMO and the rest of the @SenJudiciaryGOP do- but fine, I'll tell you. It means that for this statute to be constitutional, i.e. for the government to be able to regulate the content of a foreign person's speech in this manner, the law would have to be narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest. Free speech is incredibly important, no doubt. So when you have a constitutional imperative of that magnitude on one side of the equation, for the balancing test to come out in favor of the law you would need an equally important interest on the other side. Do we have that here?
Yes. Per @SecRubio, we do. It is called national security. So even if there were co-extensive First Amendment rights, the deportation would survive a strict scrutiny analysis. Of course, all of this assumes that he was only engaged in speech, and not, in fact, in providing actual material support to terrorists. As a reminder, some of the groups he is affiliated with have actually already been accused of doing just that:
The fact that the @JudiciaryDems are posting in support of Khalil is not even surprising. Last week, when @ChuckGrassley held a hearing on antisemitism, it was reported that @JudiciaryDems were working with National Students for Justice in Palestine- one of those groups credibly charged with providing material support to terrorists- to gather stories about "the chilling effects” of the Trump administration’s policies."
As a general rule, if you have to ask the Hamas supporters to help you drum up cases, you are probably already in the wrong. But given the chance to prepare for a hearing on antisemitism, instead of focusing on helping Jewish people, at least according to reports, you spent the time looking for made-up reasons not to help.
So in conclusion, please: Stop politicizing everything. Stop looking for counterfactual counter-narratives. Give credit where credit is due. And most importantly, stop posting legal arguments that are completely devoid of law. You have a responsibility to the people of this country. Do better."
Rashida Tlaib on X - "We all have to fight back against fascism. This is a test case and it couldn’t be more important we stop this and bring him home. Mahmoud’s rights are our rights. If they can illegally abduct him and shred his legal rights, they will never stop. Anyone this lawless administration disagrees with can be targeted."
Wilfred Reilly on X - "Rashida Tlaib ONLY opposes "fascism" - meaning tough conservatism - because it is the model of governance most likely to prevent the Islamo-fascist state she would rather openly prefer. This is a woman who has a map in her office which depicts a Western country obliterated and replaced by "Greater Palestine." She does not ACTUALLY respect Jefferson - a Conqueror of Muslim slavers - or some such shit."
Andy Ngo on X - "Far-left rioters in New York City shut down the streets in a direct action for a Palestinian man detained by U.S. immigration officials for leading an extremist group that invites support for Hamas."
Thread by @CU_JewishAlumni on Thread Reader App – Thread Reader App - "Now that Mahmoud Khalil has been taken into ICE custody, his supporters are spinning a sob story about why you should feel sorry for him. Here’s why you shouldn’t—and why this is exactly what needs to happen to restore order to campuses like @Columbia and our country. 🧵👇
Khalil wasn’t just another protester. He was a ringleader of the chaos at @Columbia .
Here he is acting as
1. spokesperson for Hamilton Hall takeover
2. ringleader at Milstein Hall occupation
3. distributed materials supporting terrorism
For over a year, @Columbia coddled Khalil. They excused him. They negotiated with him. They suspended and then un-suspended him. He responded by escalating with more and more DEMANDS. No one forced Khalil to barge onto campus, disrupt learning, or take over buildings. No one forced him to lead mobs that demonize America, or harass and intimidate Jews. This was his choice. Reportedly, Khalil's green card is being revoked. Good. A green card is a privilege that millions wait years for. So is studying at @Columbia. Khalil threw them away. His actions prove he neither respects nor deserves the shot he was given. No one should feel sorry for him. Khalil's supporters report that he “recently graduated”. If so, how and why was he on a CLOSED @BarnardCollege campus? He knew full well he didn’t belong there and he snuck onto campus for the express purpose of interrupting the learning of others. Khalil has spent over a year abusing the privileges this country and @Columbia gave him. He faced zero consequences—until now. If he is now FINALLY being removed as an antisemitic instigator and anti-Western provocateur, this isn’t a tragedy. This is justice."
Weird. Left wingers usually want to punish "hate speech"
Buck Sexton on X - "Those who cheered as J6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ “due process” They hate what holds America together, and love what destroys us"
Meme - T Wolf 🌁 @Twolfrecovery: "I will just remind you all that Hamas is a designated terrorist organization, not a resistance group. The @JudiciaryDems are standing on the wrong side of history supporting Mahmoud Khalil. @EYakoby"
Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby: ".@CNN I have video and photos of Mahmoud Khalil leading a group to violently storm a building, assaulting a Barnard staffer, and distributing Hamas media pamphlets and photos of Hassan Nasrallah. This is shameful reporting."
"Khalil, who helped lead Columbia's student protest movement demanding a ceasefire in Gaza"
Meme - The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome @TheMossadIL: "Every single person calling for Hamas affiliate and Green Card fraudster Mahmoud Khalil to be released spent exactly 0 effort calling for these Americans who still remain in Hamas captivity. Spare us."
"KIDNAPPED. Edan Alexander 21. MURDERED: Itay Chen, 19. Omer Neutra, 23. Judith Weinstein-Haggai,70. Gad Haggai, 73"
Meme - Nerdeen Kiswani @NerdeenKiswani: "ICE and DHS are detaining and arresting Palestinian Columbia students, and the university is fully facilitating this repression. From bringing NYPD on campus to now enabling ICE, Columbia isn’t just complicit—it’s an active collaborator in state violence."
Cstege @bluejumbofish: "Do not come to our country as a guest, organize a violent resistance, and tell us we need to support terrorism while advocating for the death of ANYONE. Then you even try to demand we tolerate you doing this when it is against our laws. Its just common sense that if you do such things, you need to be sent back to your own country. We will no longer tolerate this kind of behavior. You are no longer a valued guest, and you do not belong here."
Nerdeen Kiswani @NerdeenKiswani: "Are you indigenous to the Americas? If not, this is not your country."
Alchibiades 🐻 @xeixeira146866: "is Mahmoud Khalil indigenous to the US?"
Meme - Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby: "This woman is not Mahmoud Khalil's wife; she is just some random "Western-looking woman' that they chose to read his wife's statement to make Mahmoud look more American. These people are so beyond pathetic."
Sulaiman Ahmed: ""My husband was kidnapped" - Mahmoud Khalil Wife"
Eyal Yakoby on X - "BREAKING: Helyeh Doutaghi, Iranian Academic suspended by Yale University, over her ties to terrorism, openly says that she plans on committing herself to fighting the United States. Why is she here exactly?"
Thomas Hern on X - "Mike Lawler just hit the nail on the head. "What the general public sees is a Democratic Party that is more interested in defending people like Mahmoud Khalil than they are victims of crime here in New York City or Jewish students who have been subjected to vile anti-Semitism"
Insurrection Barbie on X - "Read Mohammad Khalils letter. You wanna tell me thats a regular student? That is a trained revolutionary, I would just like to know which intelligence agency trained him and how he got a visa so quickly."
Cornell student who praised Hamas told to surrender to ICE ... or else - "A Cornell graduate student who praised Hamas' October 7 attacks and organized pro-Palestine protests has been ordered to surrender to ICE officials - even though he hasn't broken any laws. Momodou Taal, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and The Gambia, received the order shortly after asking a judge to bar the government from deporting him... Taal had previously played a leading role in organizing pro-Palestine protests, and his X account includes a number of posts calling for the destruction of Israel and justifying the October 7 attacks by saying 'colonized peoples have the right to resist by any means necessary.'... he has made a number of statements in defense of Hamas and was suspended by Cornell twice last year for the disruption protests that he helped organize caused. He had been warned that an academic suspension could cause his visa to be revoked, but Taal later came to an agreement with Cornell that allowed him to continue studying remotely. The student had faced backlash for his inflammatory rhetoric about Israel and praise for Hamas, including a shocking response to the October 7 attacks. On the day of the attacks in 2023, when terrorists aligned with the group murdered over 1,200 people in a horrific spree, Taal tweeted: 'Glory to the resistance.'... In an interview with CNN in November 2023, Taal refused to apologize for his remarks about the terror group. 'I think it’s quite racist, Islamophobic that before I’m allowed to have a view on genocide, I have to condemn a terrorist organization,' he said. Taal added that despite his tweets, he 'can say clearly categorically I abhor the killing of all civilians no matter where they are and who does it.'"
It's telling that other media just calls him "pro-Palestinian" and doesn't mention his past posts. Really, pro-Palestinian just means pro-Hamas
Weird how Cornell let him continue studying when his comprehension skills are so poor: "by any means necessary" and "I abhor the killing of all civilians no matter where they are and who does it" are mutually exclusive
Meme - Momodou @MomodouTaal: "The end of the US empire in our lifetime in sha Allah"
Momodou @MomodouTaal: "Student Visa issued. We going to America baby! Alhamdulillah! Let's get this PhD"
Momodou @MomodouTaal: "My hatred of the US empire knows no bound. Wallahi."
Ben B@dejo on X - "Brown University is telling its students and staff to avoid traveling abroad, after a professor went to Lebanon for Nasrallah's funeral, sought to reenter, and was deported. Brown should be telling students and staff not to support terrorists. But that would make too much sense."
Open Source Intel on X - "WATCH 🔴 Marco Rubio on Rumeysa Ozturk, the Turkish student who was detained:
“We revoked her visa. It’s an F-1 visa, I believe. We revoked it, and here’s why—I’ve said it everywhere, and I’ll say it again. Let me be abundantly clear: If you apply for a student visa to come to the United States and you say you’re coming not just to study, but to participate in movements that vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, and cause chaos—we’re not giving you that visa. If you lie, get the visa, and then engage in that kind of behavior once you’re here, we’re going to revoke it. And once your visa is revoked, you’re no longer legally in the United States. Like every country, we have the right to remove you. It’s that simple. It’s crazy—stupid, even—for any country to let people in who say, ‘I’m going to your universities to riot, take over libraries, and harass people.’ I don’t care what movement you’re with. Why would any country allow that? We gave you a visa to study and earn a degree—not to become a social activist tearing up our campuses. If you use your visa to do that, we’ll take it away. And I encourage every country to do the same. Every country has the right to decide who enters as a visitor. If you invite me to your house for dinner and I start putting mud on your couch and spray-painting your kitchen, you’re going to kick me out. We’ll do the same if you come to the U.S. and cause a ruckus. We don’t want that here. Go do it in your own country—but not in ours.”"
Marco Rubio derides detained protesters as 'lunatics' when asked about Tufts University student - "A Lebanese doctor and assistant professor at Brown University in Rhode Island was denied re-entry to the U.S. this month and deported to Lebanon after the Trump administration alleged that her phone contained photos "sympathetic" to Hezbollah. Dr. Rasha Alawieh said she does not support the militant group but held regard for its slain leader because of her religion."
It's Islamophobic to suggest a link between Islam and terrorism, so it's no wonder Rasha Alawieh was deported
Tony.X on X - "The precedent set with Kleindienst v Mandel, 408 US 753 suggests that noncitizens do not have the same level of 1st amendment protections as citizens."
It's amusing how many left wingers don't know about Harisiades v. Shaughnessy (1952) either
Hussein Aboubakr Mansour on X - "If Mahmoud Khalil were a white supremacist migrant from Germany—or if he had been arrested on January 6th—liberals would have ensured he lost everything, served years in prison before deportation, and become the subject of a 60 Minutes expose. In it, brave FBI agents and “white radicalism” experts would solemnly warn of the growing dangers of global right-wing extremism. Moreover, all these liberals—including Jewish liberals—rushing to declare, “I’m pro-Israel and hate everything Khalil stands for, but…” are simply reaffirming their loyalty to the liberal establishment. Given the current chaos and polarization, this became an occasion to know who is who through ritualistic display, akin to flashing one's party card at a Soviet checkpoint—an obligatory declaration of ideological orthodoxy before proceeding. After everything the country has been through, they are still performing these rites of mutual recognition, still signaling fealty to a crumbling regime. It confirms what has long been evident: for liberals, maintaining their power group matters more than what remains of the country they want to monopolize. Like the Jacobins clinging to their tribunals in the final days of the Terror, they would rather preside over ruins than relinquish control."
Meme - Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes: "Something very obvious needs to be pointed out about these Los Angeles, California Mahmoud Khalil protestors These are professionally made banners and signs. There are A LOT of them. This is not stuff they just made in their homes These are PAID protestors and highly organized"
Melissa Chen on X - "The press would like you to think that never before has an administration (a) denied entry to valid visa holders or (b) deported green card holders, for reasons entirely up to the discretion of the US government. This would be false. During the Biden admin, thousands of Chinese students had their visas revoked on natsec grounds. Meanwhile, Biden extended the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program for Hong Kong residents living in the US, allowing them to stay beyond the expiry of their visas by another two years. Immigration policy has always been a lever for US foreign policy goals. No one complained then that the US government was discriminating because guess what, when it comes to especially immigrant visas, the whole point *is* to discriminate. In fact, it is the duty of the government not just to consider national security, but to also ensure that those seeking residency or citizenship - a permanent and irreversible stake in a nation by the way - at least demonstrate a basic respect for its values."
Meme - Steve McGuire @sfmcguire79: "The Brown University doctor who was deported had attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah while she was out of the country. And some of her lawyers have withdrawn, “saying that ‘as a result of further diligence, they no longer represent’ her.”"
"Prosecutors say deported R.I. doctor had photos of Hezbollah, Iran leaders on her phone
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, was questioned about the photos after she arrived at Logan Airport and border patrol found "her true intentions in the United States could not be determined,' court documents say. Lawyers who filed a petition on her behalf withdrew from the case on Monday."
Meme - Eyal Yakoby @EYakoby: "Mahmoud Khalil led a student group that openly declared its mission was to “fight for the total eradication of Western civilization” while taking instructions from terrorist organizations. How much more evidence do people need?"
cuapartheiddivest: "We are Westerners fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization. We stand in full solidarity with every movement for liberation in the Global South. Our Intifada is an internationalist one-we are fighting for nothing less than the liberation of all people. We reject every genocidal, eugenicist regime that seeks to undermine the personhood of the colonized. AAs the fascism ingrained in the American consciousness becomes ever more explicit and irrefutable, we seek community and instruction from militants in the Global South, who have been on the frontlines in the fight against tyranny and domination which undergird the imperialist world order. "Biplob Cholbe" (Revolution must continue)"
Meme - Keffiyeh-wearing protester at university: "Death to America!"
*protester booted out at US border*
Keffiyeh-wearing protester: "Hey wait, I want to stay!"
