On March 7, the day before Khalil's arrest, the [Trump] administration pulled $400 million in grant funding to Columbia because of the university's "continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students", by which it means any opposition to Israel.
Former US attorney, and current law prof and MSNBC/NBC legal analyst Joyce Vance, in her piece aptly titled, "First They Came For", explained:
Khalil has not been charged with any crimes, the most frequent reason a green card is revoked. Instead, the Department of Homeland Security says his custody is a result of Trump's executive orders that prohibit anti-Semitism. Khalil was involved in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia. It is not known if they plan to bring charges now.
Donna Liebermï ? ? žan, one of Khalil's attornï ? ? eys, told CNN:
This is a targeted, retaliatory and extreme attack on the right of free expression. They're not claiming he did anything illegal. They just don't like what he has said. It's an attempt to bully students, faculty and the rest of us"This move to quell free speech is absolutely terrifying.
Khalil is only a warning to us all, as the convicted felon/illegitimate occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is screaming out loud for all hear.
Joyce Vance continued:
Let's be clear about what this isn't. This is not an attempt to protect Jewish Americans from antisemitism. That is a complicated problem that requires education and a long-term commitment. If they were actually concerned about it, Trump's white supremacist, pro-Nazi supporters, including the guy who threw a couple of Nazi salutes recently would meet a similar fate. This is about using anti-Semitism to justify unconstitutional actions, and no one, least of all the Jewish community, benefits when a dictator begins to seize people who have not been charged with any crime.
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Columbia University is, sadly, capitulating, like so many media and business organizations.
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