Columbia University's Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University's Rumeysa Ozturk represent broader issues related to the Trump administration's strict enforcement measures targeting free speech and the rights of international students. Khalil, a green-card holder, faced wrongful detention by ICE, including being denied private communication with lawyers. Similarly, Ozturk was arrested without charges, illustrating the troubling tactics used against students expressing dissenting views. The situation raises serious concerns about the erosion of civil liberties and challenges to freedom of expression in academic settings during this administration.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who arrested Khalil informed him that his student visa had been revoked. But Khalil was not at Columbia on a student visa; he is a green-card holder whose pregnant wife is an American citizen.
ICE officials did not charge Khalil with any crime. They secretly transferred him to a detention facility in Louisiana and repeatedly denied him the opportunity to speak privately with his lawyers until a federal judge ordered the government let him to do so.
The six plainclothes ICE officials who arrested Ozturk while she was on her way to break her Ramadan fast did not initially display their badges. They did not file any charges against her.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned student visa holders not to create 'a ruckus.'
Collection
[
|
...
]