As protests arise and First Amendment questions mount surrounding the immigration detention of Mahmoud Khalil, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., penned and circulated a letter demanding the immediate release of the recent Columbia University graduate.
It found little support among Tlaib’s colleagues in Washington, with a mere 14 Democrats signing their names on the letter condemning Khalil’s detention as an “illegal abduction.”
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., who counts Khalil as one of his constituents, did not sign the letter. When contacted by The Intercept about the case, Espaillat said he expects the Trump administration — which has explicitly flouted and sought to circumscribe federal legal protections for civil liberties — to adhere to the rule of law.
The Trump administration itself has admitted the case against Khalil does not hinge on allegations that he broke the law and told a conservative news outlet that it will these proceedings as a blueprint to target other students.
It wasn’t my intention to misrepresent your comment, apologies if that’s how it came across.
Even though I disagree with the people who didn’t vote Dem because of the genocide, as a whole I find it incredibly easy to empathize with a subjugated population whose families are being discriminately murdered for no reason. I can’t blame them for not voting, especially when it’s unclear that their votes would have made any difference. Trump hasn’t stopped the genocide, Kamala wouldn’t have either. So the Palestinian protestors didn’t cause this man to be arrested by their actions or lack of actions. Even if they voted for Trump, I still fundamentally believe they deserve our empathy and a forceful defense of their rights.