Among the many temper tantrums liberals have thrown during President Trump's first 100 days in office, one of the biggest has been their demand to release Mahmoud Kahlil. The pro-Palestinian protestor was rounded up as part of the administration's crackdown on revoking student visas of political activists that take part in these anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian movements. Kahlil was part of those protests at Columbia University this last year and was rightly taken into custody.
Since his arrest, the Left has kicked and screamed for his release, calling it 'un-American' and saying the United States has no right to arrest him. First, Kahlil is here on a student visa. The U.S. has the final say in such a thing. Second, the idea of calling his arrest 'un-American,' when he was a ringleader of protests that were staunchly anti-American, and pro-Palestinian, is laughable irony at its highest form. Some of these protestors even burned American flags. The lack of self-awareness is astounding.
The thing is too; free speech is somewhat subjective when it comes to foreign nationals here on student visas. Adam Johnston, writer for the Federalist, says there are exceptions to this under American law.
"It is not a guarantee, especially when it comes to foreign nationals...this stems from the Immigration and Nationality Act," he says.
The INA is what Kahlil faces deportation under, as he sits in Louisiana. But how exactly does that play a role? It gives Secretary of State Marco Rubio the power to either keep him here or send him back to his native Palestine.
"It allows the Secretary of State to make exceptions for various forms of speech, if he deems the foreign national's presence is harmful to U.S. policy," says Johnston. "The case being made is that the speech and protests are also linked to big anti-Western, and anti-American movements."
In virtually all cases, these anti-Israel protests have been nothing more than an American bash fest. The protestors have routinely called America a fascist country, many have said 'death to America,' at them, and most of them have shared some warped ideology that the country would be better off acting as a Middle Eastern nation.
If that is not anti-American, and harmful to United States policy, then almost nothing is. It has been an insane movement that has sucked in the most gullible people of our society. A movement that is starting to see a reckoning as President Trump hammers down on universities for allowing these protests.
Kahlil is just the beginning of that crackdown. But there is more to this when you peel back the layers.
"We have foreign nationals, getting an American education under the terms of visas, and then subsequently agitating against the home country," Johnston says.
It ultimately boils down to protecting American interests, above all else. It is about waking people up to the fact they are supporting a group of terrorists that social media has told them are the good guys.
Free speech is not a right when you continuously promote anti-American, pro-terrorist ideologies. These people who participate, such as Kahlil, are about to have a rude awakening, and it cannot come soon enough.
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