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Conservative media pundit Ann Coulter on Monday questioned the arrest of a pro-Palestinian advocate on free speech grounds.
“There’s almost no one I don’t want to deport, but unless they’ve committed a crime, isn’t this a violation of the First Amendment?” Coulter said on the social platform X in response to a report from the New York Post.
The Post reported that the names of visa-reliant international students who had participated in pro-Palestinian protests were being gathered by a pro-Israel organization, Betar, which wants to make them return home under President Trump.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student who led pro-Palestinian protests and a green card holder, was arrested over the weekend by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday in a post on X, also sharing a news report on Khalil.
Trump touted Khalil’s arrest Monday on his Truth Social platform and also alleged that people heading up protests like those at Columbia last year against Israel’s war in Gaza are engaging in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it.”
“We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again,” Trump said on social media. “If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, the Justice Department and the State Department for comment.
When reached for comment by The Hill, Betar said in an email that they “confirm we provide information on jihadis.”
“We also believe naturalized citizens will also soon face consequences as our president has said,” they continued.
Betar later reached out to The Hill again by email, saying that “Where Ms. Coulter is wrong is that one who supports terror is committing a crime.”
“The very support for Hamas is grounds for deportation. Free speech is not supporting terror. This is the first of many Mahmoud’s we expect will be deported,” they added.
Updated at 11:04 p.m. EDT
