“This Isn’t a Matter of Free Speech” – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
2:30 PM – Wednesday, March 12, 2025
The 72nd Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, staunchly defended the detention and expected deportation of Columbia University’s anti-Israel protest organizer, Mahmoud Khalil, amidst criticisms that the action infringes upon the First Amendment rights.
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Rubio commented to reporters on Wednesday at Shannon Airport in Ireland, emphasizing that the situation is “not about free speech.”
His remarks came as he was en route to the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Canada following discussions on the Ukraine war in Saudi Arabia.
A federal judge in Manhattan is set to hear arguments from Khalil’s lawyers on Wednesday morning, who are challenging the Trump administration’s revocation of his green card.
“When you enter the United States as a visitor, which is the nature of a visa – this is how this individual entered the country, on a visitor’s visa – we can deny that visa,” Rubio stated. “If you apply by saying, ‘Hello, I’m coming to the U.S. on a student visa and I support Hamas, a vicious group that kidnaps children and causes violence,’ we would deny that visa. I hope we would.”
“If you proceed to act in such a manner once you’re here on that visa, we will revoke it. If you possess a green card, not citizenship, because of that visa while engaging in these activities, we will expel you. It’s straightforward. This is not about free speech; it’s about individuals who have no right to be in the United States to begin with.”
“No one has an inherent right to a student visa or a green card. When you apply for entry into the United States, we can deny your request for almost any reason, particularly if you endorse Hamas and intend to incite unrest in our universities,” Rubio explained. “When schools become zones where students fear attending classes due to disruptive behavior, it exemplifies a serious issue.”
Khalil was taken into custody by federal immigration agents in his university-affiliated apartment in New York on Saturday, and he was later moved to a detention facility in Louisiana.
The detainee was a key organizer of last year’s widely covered anti-Israel protests, with many participants donning keffiyehs and other traditional Palestinian attire.
On Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also contributed to the discussion, informing Khalil’s supporters that their grievances regarding the law don’t concern the new administration.
“American citizens are safeguarded by the First Amendment. Mahmoud Khalil is not a citizen. He is a guest in this country and has no right to undermine American values or propagate hate and violence. The Trump administration rightly detained Mahmoud and is preparing for his deportation. Democrats may be outraged, but they reveal exactly who they support,” Cruz asserted.
Khalil was reportedly “born in Syria to Palestinian parents” and was granted a student visa to enter the U.S. to attend Columbia University in 2022.
He has since secured a green card and is married to a U.S. citizen, who is reportedly eight months pregnant.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman of the Southern District of New York temporarily halted Khalil’s deportation as the legal proceedings continue.
Khalil’s legal team contends that his First and Fifth Amendment rights, encompassing free speech and due process, were infringed. They have filed a motion contesting the legitimacy of his detention and are advocating for his return to New York. Meanwhile, lawyers from the Trump administration intend to file a motion for dismissal or transfer of the case out of the Southern District of New York by Wednesday evening.
According to Fox News, Khalil may face investigation as a potential national security threat, with State Department officials expressing concern that Khalil’s actions could pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed on Tuesday that the Immigration and Nationality Act grants the Secretary of State the authority to revoke a green card or visa deemed “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States,” stating that Khalil “abused” the privilege of studying at a prestigious U.S. institution “by allying with terrorists, Hamas terrorists, who have harmed innocent lives.”
During Trump’s address on Tuesday, where he extended support to Tesla and Elon Musk by announcing plans to purchase a new Tesla for staff use at the White House, he pledged that Khalil’s detention would be the first of many actions addressing anti-Semitic unrest on college campuses.
“We need to remove troublemakers from our country. They don’t love our nation. We ought to expel him immediately,” Trump declared on Tuesday. “I have seen his statements. There were many offensive comments. If we don’t act, this is what happens to our universities and our country.”
“Let them go to school and learn. Columbia used to be regarded as an excellent institution, but now it suffers from poor leadership. Such issues affect not only universities but countries and companies as well,” Trump remarked.
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