Julia Kane ‘27
Opinions Editor
Columbia University is a prestigious Ivy League University in the heart of New York City, producing alumni with the likes of Barack Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to name just a few. However, Columbia has been a recent topic of the news for its presence of pro-Palestinian protests on their campus. In particular, Mahmoud Khalil has become a symbol of how free speech in America is being threatened under the new Trump administration.
A Palestinian refugee born in Syria, Khalil is a Columbia graduate student who mediated negotiations between Columbia’s administration and protestors on the campus. Khalil holds a green card granting him permanent residency in the U.S., while his pregnant wife, Noor Abdalla, is a US citizen, born and raised in Michigan. Due to his leading presence in Columbia’s protests and his identifiability without a mask, Khalil was taken by ICE officials and detained indefinitely. Even though he has a Green Card, Khalil may be deported under the statute used against non-citizens who have caused “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” This is a unique situation, as authorities are acknowledging that Khalil is not guilty of committing a crime, which is the typical reasoning behind deporting noncitizens. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that Khalil has promoted antisemitic, pro-Hamas activities at Columbia. Columbia was also under threat of losing $400 million in funding due to their “antisemitic protests,” giving the school no choice but to comply with the Trump administration’s demands. Columbia has given in, agreeing to ban students from wearing masks at protests and will hire 36 new campus security officers who can arrest student protestors, among other demands. I believe a crucial misconception has caused the unlawful detention of Khalil and plunges the U.S into a frightening state where freedom of speech may not be a guaranteed Constitutional right.
In the protests themselves, students held Palestinian flags and signs that had phrases such as “Cease Genocide,” “Columbia Alumni Support Gaza and the Encampment,” and other calls for action and divestment. There are very few, if any, signs or symbols of antisemitism in these protests and are not inherently against Jewish students. Columbia’s students should be able to show their support for Palestine and the over 50,000 people who have lost their lives since October 7, 2023. To me, there is an important distinction between supporting Palestine’s civilians and being critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli officials versus being a Hamas supporter and antisemitic. I adamantly oppose the actions of Netanyahu and the genocide of Palestinian citizens, but that is not equal to saying I am against Jewish individuals or am a Hamas supporter, as they are in the wrong as well. Mahmoud Khalil should not have been taken from his apartment under the pretense that he is an antisemitic Hamas fanatic, simply because he was a strong supporter of Palestine and students’ right to protest.
Additionally, to me, it seems fraudulent that President Trump is trying so desperately to appear as a staunch opponent to antisemitism to have grounds to deport people like Khalil for protesting. Many Jewish individuals feel as though their identities are being used to wrongfully deport Khalil, as the New Jewish Narrative group wrote a letter to Secretary Noem stating, “A coalition of American Jewish organizations sent a letter to the Trump administration today expressing deep concern about his exploitation of antisemitism…we are especially deeply disturbed to the circumstances surround the apprehension and deportation of Mahmoud Khalil. Arresting and/or deporting people because of their political views goes against the very foundation of our national identity and is profoundly un-American.”
No matter who you support in the Israel-Palestine conflict, the condemnation of Columbia’s student-led protests and detainment of Mahmoud Khalil should sound the alarm that the first amendment is not always guaranteed. We cannot allow freedom of speech and protest to be twisted into a tool that can punish those who criticize the government, as this is profoundly undemocratic and un-American. If America wants to continue priding itself on being the land of the free, students must be allowed to peacefully protest and fight for what they believe in, regardless of its alignment with the President’s agenda.
Featured image courtesy of USA Today Network
Copy Edited by Ben Lepper ’25
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