Photo credit: www.theguardian.com
First, they came for Mahmoud Khalil
Fast forward to 2027: you’re at home, scrolling through your social media feed while making a simple dinner of an egg—now a luxury item at $30 per dozen. After sharing your thoughts on abortion rights through a few tweets filled with anger, you settle in for the night. Suddenly, armed officers burst through your door, arresting you for allegedly threatening state security. Following your detention, if you have citizenship elsewhere, you face imminent deportation.
This wouldn’t have seemed likely in the U.S. just a few years ago, where the First Amendment once guaranteed free speech rights. Yet today, such events are becoming a troubling reality. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University alum, currently finds himself in immigration detention, facing deportation after being arrested for his pro-Palestinian advocacy.
Traditionally, green card holders can only lose their status if convicted of a crime; Khalil has not been convicted. Nonetheless, the Trump administration appears determined to find any justification to make an example out of him. Recently, Trump remarked that Khalil’s arrest is merely the beginning, warning that students engaging in “pro-terrorist, antisemitic, anti-American activity” would face similar consequences. It’s important to note how Trump has often weaponized the term “Palestinian” in derogatory contexts.
The arrest of Khalil underlines a crucial concern regarding the integrity of free speech rights in the current climate. “This could represent one of the greatest threats to First Amendment freedoms in half a century,” commented Brian Hauss, a senior attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union. “This represents a blatant attempt to suppress free speech based on its content.”
While the actions of the Trump administration are pivotal in this situation, it should be noted that the groundwork for such policies has been laid over time. The Biden administration’s harsh response to student protests and the cooperation of university officials with these measures contributed significantly to this state of affairs. Furthermore, the mainstream media’s portrayal of Palestinians, often reducing their narratives to that of victims devoid of agency, has also played a role in this escalating climate.
Ignoring the suffering caused by U.S.-backed actions in Gaza and the West Bank is another factor complicating the discourse. A disheartening aspect of the events of the past 17 months is the apparent apathy among many in the U.S. toward what numerous experts have characterized as a genocide funded by taxpayer dollars. Perhaps worse than ignorance is the consciousness of injustice paired with a refusal to act—those who recognize the depth of this crisis but choose self-preservation over advocacy.
To those who may feel unaffected, “your silence will not save you,” is a refrain I cannot repeat enough. The struggles for Palestinian rights, transgender rights, women’s rights, and various other social justice causes are interconnected. Unless you align fully with the ideologies of those in power, the repressive measures presently targeting Khalil and pro-Palestinian activists could very well extend to you as well.
This points to a concerning trend; we need to recognize that the U.S. is not immune to the authoritarian practices observed in other nations. Consider Saudi Arabia, where Salma al-Shehab was imprisoned for over four years under terrorism-related charges for tweeting in support of women’s rights. She underwent extensive solitary confinement, highlighting the severity of dissent suppression there.
Similarly, Israel’s policy of “administrative detention” allows authorities to hold individuals without formal charges indefinitely, as seen in the case of 23-year-old Layan Nasir, who was taken without warning and held for eight months. Many Palestinians languish in unjust conditions, denied due process.
Russia presents another disheartening example, where women are increasingly prosecuted for speaking against the war in Ukraine, with cases like 18-year-old Daria Kozyreva serving as a stark reminder of the consequences of dissent.
These global instances underscore a grim reality: America is not exceptional. The Constitution alone does not guarantee our freedoms; we are rapidly heading toward authoritarianism. Khalil’s detention serves as a poignant reminder that our collective struggles for liberty are intertwined.
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Source
www.theguardian.com