Arrest of Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil: First Amendment in Danger
People of all political persuasions should condemn Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, an action that included taking *infants* and preschool children as hostages. It is possible to support the Palestinian cause while, at the same time, condemning actions taken by some Palestinians as the war crimes that they are. At the same time, people of all political persuasions should condemn the March 8, 2025 arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University and a legal resident of the USA--he holds a green card--for his non-violent political activities. According to the Associated Press, no criminal charges have been filed against him. Presumably, if Khalil had committed a crime, he would have been arrested and charged with those crimes. The lack of criminal charges implies that Khalil was arrested for his political views and for the vague charge of anti-Semitism. A statement from a Department of Homeland Security official substantiates this...