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Welcome to The Logoff. In the present day I’m specializing in the Trump administration’s arrest of a pro-Palestinian activist, a chilling improvement for defenders of free speech and the First Modification.
What’s the most recent? Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers on Saturday arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a latest Columbia College graduate pupil who’s a Syrian-born Palestinian. Khalil is a authorized everlasting resident of the US. His arrest comes after he performed a outstanding position in anti-Israel protests on campus.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio prompt yesterday that Khalil’s inexperienced card can be revoked and that the administration deliberate to deport him. However a choose this afternoon blocked the administration from deporting Khalil whereas authorized proceedings over his case go ahead.
Why was Mahmoud Khalil arrested? Khalil has not been charged with against the law, the Related Press studies. The administration mentioned the arrest was in accordance with Donald Trump’s order “prohibiting anti-Semitism.” Rubio’s submit made clear the arrest was as a consequence of Khalil’s involvement with Columbia’s pro-Palestine protests, calling the previous pupil a “supporter of Hamas.” (The federal government has not produced any proof that Khalil was coordinating with Hamas or offering materials assist.)
What’s the massive image? Not everybody will agree with Khalil’s place on Palestine and Israel, however that’s irrelevant. The Trump administration is explicitly taking punitive motion towards Khalil on the premise of his political expression, successfully criminalizing an act of political speech in a troubling signal for all of our civil liberties. Trump in a White Home assertion at the moment mentioned: “That is the primary arrest of many to come back.”
And with that, it’s time to log out…
A fast reminder that doomscrolling doesn’t assist anybody. As a substitute, may I recommend at the moment’s episode of Vox’s The Grey Space podcast? It’s concerning the worth of silence, and I discovered it actually useful to listen to about the advantages of quiet in a world the place it’s onerous to search out. The podcast is offered at no cost on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere, and I hope you get to get pleasure from it. Have a great evening, and I’ll see you again right here tomorrow.
Correction, March 11, 10:45 am ET: A earlier model of this story misstated Mahmoud Khalil’s background. He’s a Syrian-born Palestinian.
