Former Trump administration border czar Thomas Homan has suggested that any green card holder who commits a crime could be subject to deportation. His statement follows the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University.
Speaking with Fox Business, Homan defended Khalil’s apprehension by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that resident aliens who break the law can be removed from the country. “Did he violate the terms of his visa? Did he violate the terms of his residency here—committing crimes, attacking Israeli students, locking down buildings, destroying property? Absolutely,” Homan stated.
Khalil was taken into custody on Saturday night by ICE, which cited an order to revoke his green card. The move received praise from former President Donald Trump, who took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to commend the action.
“Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University,” Trump wrote. He further signaled that this was just the beginning: “This is the first arrest of many to come. We know there are more students at Columbia and other universities across the country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it.”
Trump vowed that his administration would take a hardline approach against those it perceives as threats. “We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country—never to return again. If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here.”
The arrest has sparked backlash from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights advocates. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American congresswoman, decried the move as an attack on free speech. “Free Mahmoud Khalil. This is straight out of the fascist playbook. Criminalizing dissent is an assault on our First Amendment and freedom of speech,” she posted on X.
New York Attorney General Letitia James also voiced concerns. “I am extremely concerned about the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, an advocate and legal permanent resident of Palestinian descent,” she said, adding that her office is closely monitoring the case and is in contact with Khalil’s attorney.
For now, Khalil remains in custody at the La Salle Detention Facility in Jena, Louisiana. However, a federal judge has temporarily halted his deportation pending a court hearing scheduled for next Wednesday. A court order obtained by the Daily Mail stated, “To preserve the Court’s jurisdiction pending a ruling on the petition, Petitioner shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court orders otherwise.”
As legal battles over the case unfold, the broader debate over immigration enforcement and civil liberties continues to intensify.
Keep up with immigration updates with us on Que Onda Magazine.
