Trump’s arrest of a pro-Palestinian organizer, briefly explained

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Welcome to The Logoff. Today I’m focusing on the Trump administration’s arrest of a pro-Palestinian activist, a chilling development for defenders of free speech and the First Amendment.

What’s the latest? Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Saturday arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate student who is a Syrian-born Palestinian. Khalil is a legal permanent resident of the US. His arrest comes after he played a prominent role in anti-Israel protests on campus.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested yesterday that Khalil’s green card would be revoked and that the administration planned to deport him. But a judge this afternoon blocked the administration from deporting Khalil while legal proceedings over his case go forward.

Why was Mahmoud Khalil arrested? Khalil has not been charged with a crime, the Associated Press reports. The administration said the arrest was in accordance with Donald Trump’s order “prohibiting anti-Semitism.” Rubio’s post made clear the arrest was due to Khalil’s involvement with Columbia’s pro-Palestine protests, calling the former student a “supporter of Hamas.” (The government has not produced any evidence that Khalil was coordinating with Hamas or providing material support.)

What’s the big picture? Not everyone will agree with Khalil’s position on Palestine and Israel, but that’s beside the point. The Trump administration is explicitly taking punitive action against Khalil on the basis of his political expression, effectively criminalizing an act of political speech in a troubling sign for all of our civil liberties. Trump in a White House statement today said: “This is the first arrest of many to come.”

And with that, it’s time to log off…

A quick reminder that doomscrolling doesn’t help anyone. Instead, might I suggest today’s episode of Vox’s The Gray Area podcast? It’s about the value of silence, and I found it really helpful to hear about the benefits of quiet in a world where it’s hard to find. The podcast is available for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere, and I hope you get to enjoy it. Have a good night, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Correction, March 11, 10:45 am ET: A previous version of this story misstated Mahmoud Khalil’s background. He’s a Syrian-born Palestinian.