Mahmoud Khalil is facing deportation over his role in protests against the war in Gaza
A protest was held Saturday afternoon in Miami as several people called for the release of a Columbia University activist.
Mahmoud Khalil is facing deportation over his role in protests against the war in Gaza.
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WATCH HEREA demonstration was held at the Torch of Friendship as dozens expressed their outrage over the government’s continued detention of Khalil.
"It is wrong. It’s a violation of his civil liberties," said Maria Franzblau, organizer and co-chair of the Miami Democratic Socialists of America.
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Khalil is a former Columbia University grad student who became the face of pro-Palestinian student protests last spring.
He was arrested by federal immigration authorities last week and faces possible deportation.
"We believe an injustice is being made here against Mahmoud Khalil, against anyone else being apprehended by ICE on campuses for demonstrating this war in the Middle East.
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This also comes as the mayor of Miami Beach wants to end the lease of a theater that screened a documentary about the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, which he describes as antisemitic.
"We are watching what happens when you shut down civil liberties just for saying an inconvenient truth in America," said Wesley Chau, a protestor. "This is an assault on civil liberties. This is an assault on free speech."
Protestors were heard arguing that Khalil is not being accused of any crime, but is being punished because of his role in in protests against Israel's war in Gaza.
For David Collante, this means more to him since he's an immigrant and has been a U.S citizen for 20 years/
"This country has welcomed me," he said. "I just think the promise of America is that you can come here and have these freedoms of expressions, have the rights to assemble, the rights to criticize your government and those rights are protected.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio knocked the notion that the federal court case is about First Amendment rights but rather Khalil’s legal standing to stay in the U.S.
"This is not about free speech," Rubio said. "This is about people who don’t have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa but I think being a supporter of Hamas and coming into our universities and turning them upside down and being complicit. If you told us that’s what you intended to do when you entered America, we would’ve never let you in and if you do it once you get in, we’re going to revoke it and kick you out."
Others agree with Rubio.
Khalil’s deportation is on hold for now, as the trump administration continues the fight in court.
