Progressives sound alarm over detention of Palestinian activist

Progressives have emerged as the most aggressive voices condemning the detention of Palestinian activist and U.S. green card-holder Mahmoud Khalil, arguing that Democrats must unite in denouncing the Trump administration’s move.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Khalil, a recently graduated master’s student at Columbia University, on Saturday over the administration’s allegations that he supports Hamas, despite Khalil being a legal permanent resident who hasn’t been accused of any crime. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would move to deport additional “Hamas supporters” in the country on visas or green cards. 

Influential figures on the left have quickly united behind Khalil’s cause, arguing his detention is a clear violation of free speech and that Democrats must unite on the issue.

“There’s never going to be the ideal situation to protest against, but this is one of those moments where a fundamental right is being called into question, and therefore, I think it’s imperative that progressives and moderate Democrats speak with one voice,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive group Our Revolution.  

The Department of Homeland Security said over the weekend that ICE arrested Khalil “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism,” alleging the recent Columbia graduate “led activities aligned to Hamas.” The president on Truth Social said it was “the first arrest of many to come,” likening Khalil and other student protesters to “terrorist sympathizers.”  

On Monday, a federal judge halted the government from moving forward with deportation efforts against Khalil before a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday. 

In response, progressive voices on Capitol Hill and beyond have been sounding the alarm that the move has free speech and civil rights implications that cross party lines.

Geevarghese called the Trump administration’s move to detain Khalil an “abuse of power.”

“And specifically in this situation, it’s important because it’s about something bigger than just the Israeli-Hamas conflict,” he said. “It’s really about our right to protest and to dissent. And Donald Trump is using this to test the limits, not just of the law, but also of the opposition.” 

The House Progressive Caucus said “every American should be alarmed — no matter your political views.” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) called Khalil’s arrest “straight out of the fascist playbook.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) dubbed it “a blatant act of authoritarianism.” 

“If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said.

“Anyone — left, right, or center — who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now.” 

A group of 14 Democrats, mostly progressives, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday calling on her to release Khalil. 

A social media account for Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), called the Trump administration’s moves “straight up authoritarianism.”

Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett called the administration’s move a “trial balloon” to see how the public and elected officials will respond, necessitating Democratic pushback. He said the party should keep up with Trump despite his goal of working to “overwhelm” with the volume of actions he’s taking.

“While Democrats may be locked out of power, we still have the power of the bully pulpit,” he said. “The average American out there would be alarmed to hear that somebody who’s in this country legally, who has the right to due process, is having that stripped because they’re choosing to speak in a way that this administration doesn’t like.” 

But Hackett said Democrats’ main concern shouldn’t be the political effects but rather taking a moral stand in defense of free speech and civil rights.

“This is about the Democratic Party being the party that stands up for free speech, the party that stands up for the Constitution, the party that stands up for the republic,” he said. “Because if we allow stuff like this to go unchallenged, more of those fundamental rights will come crumbling down this. This is not a political calculation. This is a democracy calculation.” 

Trump and some of his allies have often equated support for the Palestinian cause with support for Hamas and argued that deporting people like Khalil is to push back against antisemitism, but Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said defending democracy is a key issue to American Jews.

The wide-ranging protests that have taken place on college campuses since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023 have been a thorny and divisive issue for the Democratic Party, with some rhetoric devolving into antisemitism.

Jewish Americans make up a major part of the Democratic coalition, and some expressed concern about being turned off to the party in 2024 given the protests, though exit polls still showed an overwhelmingly majority voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Trump has argued Khalil engaged in “pro-terrorist” and antisemitic activity but has not pointed to any specific examples of his conduct qualifying as such. 

But Soifer said a balance can be struck between disagreeing with actions and statements from some pro-Palestinian protesters and supporting their civil rights. 

“What we’ve seen from Democrats opposing this should not be misinterpreted as alignment with Khalil’s cause or sentiment,” she said. “It’s just recognition of his rights. And it’s not even about him. Honestly, it’s about every American.”

“There will be free speech that we do not agree with,” Soifer said. “But that does not mean that those individuals should be denied due process. And the reasoning behind it is we don’t know who’s next.” 

Others in the party think Democrats should focus their rallying cries around the economy instead. 

“Democrats should be talking about one thing: How the U.S. economy is spiraling into a devastating recession because of Trump’s failed economic policies,” said Jim Kessler, a co-founder of the left-center think tank Third Way, in an email to The Hill. 

New York Democratic strategist Jon Reinish argued it would be “completely idiotic” for Democrats to use Khalil’s arrest as central in their battle against Trump. Heading into a midterm year, if Democrats “somehow hang their politics on someone who spent the last year terrorizing Jews, I couldn’t think of anything more foolish than that.” 

Reinish knocked the post from Senate Judiciary Democrats, as well as comments from members of the progressive “squad,” which he saw as “using something that’s actually a very serious issue to try to make news of the day, score hits on social media and play to their base.” 

He and other Democrats also argued it’s more effective to hammer Trump over the economy, as steep losses in the stock market and tariff threats hurt pocketbooks across all parties.  

“I still think that the No. 1 issue for most Democrats is going to be focusing on the economy,” moderate Democratic strategist Kristen Hawn said. “I think the focus is going to remain there.”  

That said, Democrats “can also do two things at once,” Hawn said, contending the party doesn’t need to ignore concerns about free speech surrounding Khalil’s case in order to prioritize economic messaging.  

Geevarghese concurred that the economy is fertile ground for criticism against Trump, but contended that the issue of free speech, as highlighted by Khalil’s case, offers the party a chance to make potential inroads across the aisle.  

“This example is an opportunity for Democrats to actually call the question on whether MAGA Republicans are committed to freedom of speech,” he said. “It is an issue that Democrats should seize back from the Republicans.”