Sen. Kennedy Schools CNN's Jake Tapper With the Facts on the Mahmoud Khalil Case

Predictably, the leftist/media freak out over the ICE arrest and possible deportation of professional pro-Hamas agitator and former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil continues, with House and Senate Democrats being among those demanding he be "freed" while also proclaiming at the same time that his free speech rights are allegedly being violated.

"Deporting legal residents because they disagree with you is an attack on everyone’s right to free speech. Who is next, citizens? This is absolutely unacceptable," woke Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) wrote in one tweet.

In another, she stated, "Everyone in the United States has First Amendment rights. The Trump administration cannot change that."

The problems with Jayapal's claims are numerous, as RedState readers might already suspect, something that Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) patiently explained to CNN's Jake Tapper in a Monday exchange where Kennedy was asked about his thoughts on the case.

As per the norm, the segment started off with Tapper first going back and forth with CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino, who told him that Khalil's arrest and detention was "sending a chill to the student activist community, not just here in New York City where students are protesting at this hour, but across other college campuses."

After that, Tapper turned to Kennedy, asking him if he had any "concerns" about any supposed free speech infringements. Here's how the segment went down:

TAPPER: And Senator Kennedy, I asked the White House why detain this man, why detain Khalil? And they said again, I'll just read it again, that they have confirmable evidence that he was leading a pro-Hamas protest, made and distributed flyers with pro-Hamas images. Also, he used language on social media posts expressing anti-Semitic views.

Now, as important as you and I might find any of that, these are protests, flyers, and views. Do you have any concern when it comes to free speech and the detention of this man?

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): Well, Mr. Khalil will receive due process because by now his lawyer has already filed a writ of habeas corpus. Mr. Khalil was involved in the protests. He was a Columbia student under the Immigration and Naturalization Act. If you support a terrorist organization you can be deported. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Mr. Khalil's side of the story, I understand to be that I don't support Hamas, I just support Palestinians. All I did was file some -- post some Facebook posts. I wasn't involved in any of the illegal protests or the illegal occupation of student buildings or physically intimidating the Jewish people and Jewish students. We'll find out who's right.

The Immigration and Naturalization Act, though, is fairly broad. And if the administration can show acts directly and probably indirectly supporting Hamas, they'll deport him. And he should be deported, if that's what's shown in court.

TAPPER: It sounds like you think that the evidence should be presented, which is obviously the definition of habeas corpus, produce it.

KENNEDY: Yeah.

TAPPER: So, that makes a lot of sense to me as well.

Watch:

Senator John Kennedy sets the record straight:

"Under the Immigration and Naturalization Act, if you support a terrorist organization, you can be deported. Hamas is a terrorist organization."

pic.twitter.com/z3XQluillS
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) March 10, 2025

Here is the relevant text from the Immigration and Nationality Act:

Really straightforward why Mahmoud Khalil is getting deported

You don’t get to endorse or espouse terrorist activity as a non-citizen - even if you have a green card

Bye bye pic.twitter.com/YovqMGYxbe
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) March 10, 2025

Straightforward indeed.

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