In a chilling interview on Thursday, a top Trump administration official refused to answer a question on whether or not he believes protesting U.S. actions is grounds for deportation — instead deflecting by labeling pro-Palestine protesters as terrorists.
Speaking with NPR’s Michel Martin about the administration’s arrest and “disappearance” of pro-Palestine protester Mahmoud Khalil, Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar reiterated that the administration was revoking the Columbia University activist’s immigration status because he was protesting for Palestinian rights and “supporting terrorism.”
Martin specifically pressed Edgar multiple times to answer how Khalil had supposedly displayed terrorist sympathies, pushing back against long-standing assertions that supporting Palestinian rights is equivalent to supporting terrorism. The interviewer further brought up the fact that a U.S. official has openly admitted that the administration is not accusing Khalil of having broken any laws.
In response, Edgar constantly referred back to his argument that the federal government holds the power to revoke immigrants’ visas, ignoring Martin’s corrections that Khalil was a legal permanent resident with a green card.
“Well, I think you can see it on TV, right?” Edgar said. “This is somebody that we’ve invited and allowed the student to come into the country, and he’s put himself in the middle of the process of basically pro-Palestinian activity.”
Khalil’s legal team has argued that his arrest and potential deportation by the Trump administration are a violation of his constitutional rights to free speech, as officials have made their motives clear for targeting him.
After a few rounds of back and forth with Edgar giving similar responses about the immigration process, Martin asked: “Is any criticism of the United States government a deportable offense?”
Edgar responded by implying that participating in a protest, one of the core tenets of free speech rights, is an offense that warrants punishment by the federal government.
“Imagine if he came in and filled out the form and said, ‘I want a student visa.’ They asked him, ‘What are you going to do here?’ And he says, ‘I’m going to go and protest.’ We would have never let him into the country,” Edgar said.
Martin then directly asked: “Is protesting a deportable offense?”
Edgar again refused to answer the question, saying, “You’re focused on protests. I’m focused on the visa process.”
Advocates for Palestinian rights have said that the interview makes clear the administration’s view that any speech criticizing Israel can and should be punished.
“The U.S. government is adopting the point of view of the Israeli government wholesale here, wherein supporting Palestine is automatically support for Hamas, and everything that could possibly be legally and criminally downwind of that,” said Séamus Malekafzali, a journalist and Middle East analyst.
Press freedom is under attack
As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary.
Truthout produces reporting you won’t see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more.
Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.