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Welcome to The Logoff. Right now I’m specializing in the Trump administration’s arrest of a pro-Palestinian activist, a chilling growth for defenders of free speech and the First Modification.
What’s the newest? Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers on Saturday arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a current Columbia College graduate scholar who was born within the Palestinian territories. Khalil is a authorized everlasting resident of the US. His arrest comes after he performed a outstanding position in anti-Israel protests on campus.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged yesterday that Khalil’s inexperienced card can be revoked and that the administration deliberate to deport him. However a decide this afternoon blocked the administration from deporting Khalil whereas authorized proceedings over his case go ahead.
Why was Mahmoud Khalil arrested? Khalil has not been charged with against the law, the Related Press reviews. The administration stated the arrest was in accordance with Donald Trump’s order “prohibiting anti-Semitism.” Rubio’s submit made clear the arrest was on account of Khalil’s involvement with Columbia’s pro-Palestine protests, calling the previous scholar a “supporter of Hamas.” (The federal government has not produced any proof that Khalil was coordinating with Hamas or offering materials help.)
What’s the large image? Not everybody will agree with Khalil’s place on Palestine and Israel, however that’s irrelevant. The Trump administration is explicitly taking punitive motion in opposition to Khalil on the idea of his political expression, successfully criminalizing an act of political speech in a troubling signal for all of our civil liberties. Trump in a White Home assertion in the present day stated: “That is the primary arrest of many to return.”
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
A fast reminder that doomscrolling doesn’t assist anybody. As a substitute, would possibly I recommend in the present day’s episode of Vox’s The Grey Space podcast? It’s in regards to the worth of silence, and I discovered it actually useful to listen to about the advantages of quiet in a world the place it’s onerous to search out. The podcast is offered free of charge on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and elsewhere, and I hope you get to take pleasure in it. Have a great evening, and I’ll see you again right here tomorrow.
