- cross-posted to:
- actually_infuriating@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- actually_infuriating@lemmy.world
Summary
ICE agents arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a leader in Columbia University’s encampment movement, claiming his student visa was revoked.
However, his attorney Amy Greer states he has a green card, not a student visa.
Despite filing a habeas corpus petition, Greer can’t locate where Khalil is being held, noting his eight-months-pregnant wife couldn’t find him at a New Jersey facility.
The arrest follows Trump’s March 4 social media threat to defund universities allowing “illegal protests” and deport “agitators.”
Biden did support the crackdowns and arrests of about 3000 pro Palestinian protesters, including a law to label the protests as antisemitic and target universities that ‘tolerate’ the (peaceful) protests. He didn’t deport any protesters. He did back both that law and the law that can label any pro-palestinian (and any pro- marginalized group) organization as’ supporters of terrorism’ to revoke federal funding and add tax penalties, both of which fit into Project Esther, the plan Trump is currently enacting as part of Project 2025
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/4/advocates-warn-trumps-threat-to-deport-pro-palestine-students-harms-all
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/1/us-house-passes-controversial-bill-that-expands-definition-of-anti-semitism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._National_Strategy_to_Counter_Antisemitism
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-house-passes-bill-targeting-charities-and-pro-palestine-groups
I’m aware that Biden was somewhat hostile towards the protesters but that’s not what was claimed. None of this really answers the question of whether the Biden administration arrested protestors. That would be highly unusual since most protests are handled by local police.