Rubio Defends Revocation of Activist's Green Card Amidst Heated Exchange on CBS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed with CBS host Margaret Brennan over the revocation of Mahmoud Khalil’s green card, defending the decision amidst accusations of stifling political views.
In a heated exchange on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation,’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the green card of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student activist. Khalil, a Palestinian raised in Syria and a permanent U.S. resident, was arrested and detained by immigration officials earlier this month for leading activities allegedly aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
Brennan challenged Rubio, citing a Wall Street Journal editorial critical of the administration’s actions. She asked whether Khalil’s visa was revoked due to evidence of supporting terrorism or merely for expressing a ‘controversial political’ view. Rubio firmly stated that anyone entering the U.S. on a visa is considered a ‘guest’ and will be deported if they engage in ‘pro-Hamas’ activities, which he argued are against U.S. foreign policy interests.
Rubio emphasized that Khalil’s actions, including negotiating for student protesters who occupied and vandalized Columbia University’s campus, constituted a crime. He asserted that individuals who enter the country on visas with intentions to disrupt and promote terrorist organizations should not be allowed to stay. Rubio also criticized the hypocrisy of those defending the protesters’ free speech rights, pointing out their willingness to censor other political speech on social media.
When pressed by Brennan on whether only pro-Palestinian individuals would face such visa revocations, Rubio clarified that the administration was also deporting members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, recognized as a terrorist organization. He reiterated the administration’s stance on not wanting terrorists or individuals undermining national security in the country, emphasizing that a visa is a privilege, not a right.
The exchange highlights the ongoing tension between national security concerns and the protection of political expression, as the administration continues to take a hardline stance on immigration and terrorism.