"Never a good sign": After Khalil arrest, a "climate of fear" descends on Columbia University

Advocates warn that the U.S. government's deportation case against a pro-Palestinian activist at Columbia University, and the subsequent arrest of others, is based solely on their protected political speech — a fact that other students at Columbia say has contributed to a climate of fear at the school. The provision, according to the charging document, allows Secretary of State Marco Rubio to deport Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States, if he “has reasonable ground to believe that your presence or activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” On Sunday, Rubio said on CBS News's "Face the Nation" that he intended to continue using the power to deport those with disfavored political beliefs. “It does raise serious questions about what the government could possibly say the First Amendment means when it comes to political views that they don’t like.” We need your help to stay independent Subscribe today to support Salon's progressive journalism As Khalil’s case moves through the immigration courts, the arrest of Khalil has wracked Columbia University’s campus, where activists have demanded that the government return Khalil and accused the administration of attempting to deport him for his political beliefs. "Secret police abducting people in the middle of the night is never a good sign for any minority, especially Jewish people.” Nerdeen Kiswani, a pro-Palestine organizer and founder of the advocacy group Within Our Lifetime, told Salon that “the abduction is part and parcel of Columbia’s agenda to stamp out pro-Palestinian activism on campus." Speaking at a protest last Friday, she said that Columbia University’s role in Khalil’s abduction was “beyond capitulation” and that this issue is the "canary in the coal mine" in terms of criminalizing political speech.