Rubio Pushes Back Against Mahmoud Khalil Defenders: ‘Not About Free Speech’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the detention and possible deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University protest organizer, amid accusations that the move undermines the First Amendment. Speaking at Shannon Airport in Ireland, Rubio was firm: the issue is "not about free speech."

The Secretary made his comments during a stopover en route to a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Canada, after negotiations on the Ukraine war in Saudi Arabia. A federal judge in Manhattan is set to hear arguments from Khalil's lawyers, who are challenging the Trump administration’s decision to revoke his green card.

Rubio explained his stance bluntly: "When you apply for a visa to the United States, it’s a privilege, not a right." Pointing to Khalil’s alleged support for Hamas, Rubio outlined a hypothetical scenario. "If someone openly declared their support for a group that kidnaps children, rapes teenage girls, and takes hostages, they wouldn't even get a visa. And if they engage in such activities once here, revoking their green card is not only justified—it’s necessary." According to Rubio, this case is about protecting national security, not curbing free speech.

Khalil, a Palestinian born in Syria, entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2022 to attend Columbia University. He later obtained a green card and is married to an American citizen, who is reportedly eight months pregnant. Despite these personal ties, federal immigration authorities arrested him at his university-owned apartment in New York and transferred him to a detention center in Louisiana over the weekend.

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman temporarily blocked Khalil’s deportation as the legal battle unfolds. Khalil's lawyers argue that his detention violates his constitutional rights under the First and Fifth Amendments. They are also pushing for his return to New York, while Trump administration lawyers claim the federal court in Manhattan is "an improper venue."

Meanwhile, sources have indicated that Khalil is under investigation as a potential national security threat. State Department officials warned that his activities could have "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States." The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, issued a statement backing Rubio’s actions, citing the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows visa or green card revocation for individuals deemed adversarial to U.S. foreign policy or national security interests.

Former President Donald Trump also weighed in, tying Khalil’s detention to a broader crackdown on antisemitic campus unrest. "We ought to get them all out of the country," Trump said on Tuesday. "They’re troublemakers, agitators, and they don’t love our country." In typical Trump fashion, he didn’t mince words, adding, "You can have him, okay? You can have him, and you can have the rest of them."

As legal proceedings continue, the case raises broader questions about the balance between free speech and national security in the U.S. immigration system. Khalil’s supporters argue that his First Amendment rights are being trampled, while his detractors see his actions as a clear abuse of his privileges as a U.S. resident.