\n<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/strong> produced a notably slender one-and-a-half-page memo<\/a> as evidence for the Trump administration\u2019s attempt to deport Mahmoud Khalil<\/strong>. An immigration judge is set to rule Friday whether the government can continue detaining him during immigration proceedings.<\/p>\n The memo delivered Wednesday<\/a>, in response to a Louisiana immigration judge\u2019s order, states that Khalil\u2014a legal permanent US resident and Columbia University graduate student who served as a campus activist spokesperson during pro-Palestinian demonstrations<\/a>\u2014engaged in \u201cotherwise lawful\u201d activities. But it went on to cite an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which it claimed empowers the secretary of state to \u201cpersonally determine\u201d whether Khail should have remained in the country. Rubio\u2019s memo also noted that US foreign policy \u201cchampions core American interests and American citizens\u201d and that the protests Khalil participated in \u201cwould severely undermine that significant foreign policy objective.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnny Sinodis<\/strong>, one of Khalil\u2019s lawyers, argues that the memo<\/a> doesn\u2019t meet the evidentiary standard required under immigration law. \u201cThe Rubio memo is completely devoid of any factual recitation as to why exactly Mahmoud\u2019s presence in the United States is adverse to a compelling US government interest,\u201d he said on Thursday.<\/p>\n Arrested early last month by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Khalil was detained briefly in New Jersey before being sent to Louisiana, where he has remained since. Rubio said he\u2019d revoked Khalil\u2019s green card after the fact. Now, presented with the opportunity to provide a legal basis for his deportation, the administration has\u2014whether or not they intended to\u2014seemingly proven that there is<\/em> no<\/em> legal basis for his removal.<\/p>\n Khalil is just one victim of Trump\u2019s broad, legally dubious crackdown on free speech. As of mid-march, at least 50 universities, including Cornell and Yale, were under investigation<\/a> by the Education Department for allegedly promoting DEI policies. The administration has also halted<\/a> federal funding for numerous schools, like Northwestern and Cornell, over allegations of antisemitism and racial discrimination. Meanwhile, students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, from Stanford<\/a> to University of Michigan<\/a>, have come under disciplinary action and even criminal punishment.<\/p>\n In a letter sent from jail last month, Khalil stated<\/a> that his being targeted \u201cwas part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent.\u201d \u201cKnowing fully that this moment transcends my individual circumstances,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI hope nonetheless to be free to witness the birth of my first-born child.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n