Libertarian National Committee Chair Steven Nekhaila issued a statement this week condemning the recent arrest and potential deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, labeling it a politically motivated attack on free speech and an abuse of immigration law.
Last Saturday, Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. permanent resident and Columbia University graduate student, was arrested by federal agents. The Department of Homeland Security alleges that Khalil led activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, citing his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University last year. Khalil’s attorney contends that he has no proven ties to Hamas and has committed no crimes.
As of Wednesday, a federal judge has temporarily blocked Khalil’s deportation, pending further legal proceedings. Despite this, Khalil remains detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana, with his legal team challenging the government’s actions as an infringement on his First Amendment rights. A hearing is scheduled for later in March.
In a statement made that same Wednesday, Nekhaila criticized the U.S. government for its actions, asserting that immigration law is being weaponized against Khalil and other student protesters to suppress dissent. He drew parallels to historical instances where the state has targeted activists, arguing that free speech is an inherent liberty not “granted by the state” and that Libertarians oppose all efforts to restrict it.
The full statement published by the Libertarian Party reads:
Statement on the Arrest and Potential Deportation of Mahmoud Khalil & Free Speech
The U.S. government is once again using immigration law as a political weapon, this time against Mahmoud Khalil and other student protesters. Free speech is not a privilege granted by the state; it is an innate liberty that the state is supposed to protect. Just as Nixon targeted anti-war activists, the government is now silencing dissent on Palestine. Libertarians oppose all state crackdowns on speech, no matter the target. – LNC Chair [Steven Nekhaila]
“Khalil lied on his visa application and now there’s new evidence that he may well have known about the 10/7 attacks before they started”
https://ace.mu.nu/archives/414184.php
I have not heard of the Arizona case. Do you have more details / link?
Khalil lied on his visa application and now there’s new evidence that he may well have known about the 10/7 attacks before they started, but of course the Greens, Libertarians, and the rest of the woke mob are quick to jump to his defense. I wonder what else about his terrorist associations isn’t public information yet for national security reasons.
This story is further evidence that in its 53-year history the LP has always valued the freedom of non-citizens more than the freedom of American citizens. Notice that recently when an actual LP member in Surprise, AZ was arrested for exercising First Amendment rights, the LNC leadership wasn’t falling all over itself to condemn that arrest as it has with Khalil.
Deportation? Send the nazi goat-fucker straight to hell. And send his comrade Nekhaila there with him.