White House says pro-Hamas propaganda was handed out at rallies organized by detained Palestinian activist
The State Department and White House pointed to a provision that allows green card holders to be removed from the country if they present “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States" in the case of Mahmoud Khalil.
Ahead of a Wednesday hearing at which lawyers for a Palestinian activist who is a legal permanent U.S. resident will challenge his planned deportation, the State Department and the White House pointed to a provision that allows green card holders to be removed from the country if they present “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
“In such cases, the Secretary of State notifies the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who has the authority to initiate removal charges,” a State Department spokesperson said in response to questions about the circumstances of Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest.
Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist whom federal immigration authorities arrested at university housing Saturday, has not been criminally charged.
President Donald Trump has said the apprehension of Khalil, who organized and led pro-Palestinian rallies at Columbia last year, would be the “first arrest of many” as his administration cracks down on campus opposition to the war in Gaza.
The Department of Homeland Security has accused Khalil of leading “activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
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