On March 8, Mahmoud Khalil—a prominent pro-Palestine activist and legal U.S. resident—was effectively disappeared. After his arrest, he was flown to Louisiana, far from his lawyer, his wife, and his community of supporters. Khalil, a green card holder, is protected by the U.S. Constitution and cannot be deported for exercising his First Amendment rights.
Yet the government is attempting to deport him under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, a Cold War relic introduced by Senator Patrick McCarran (D-NV)—an admirer of Spain’s WWII-era fascist Francisco Franco, a rabid anti-Communist, and a noted anti-Semite. This law, once used to persecute figures like Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Du Bois, allows the Secretary of State to deport residents who allegedly “adversely affect” U.S. foreign policy—an unconstitutional and vague standard.
Khalil’s wife, a U.S. citizen, gave birth while he was in detention. His case is part of a wider effort to intimidate and silence pro-Palestine voices across the country.
Other Targets of the Witch-Hunt
Khalil is not alone.
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- Rumeysa Ozturk, who co-authored a pro-Palestine op-ed, was detained for six weeks.
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- Mohsen Mahdawi was arrested during a citizenship interview—a chilling irony.
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- And the list continues to grow.
The Encampments that Sparked a Movement
On April 17, 2024, Columbia University students launched the first pro-Palestine encampment. Within weeks, encampments spread across the U.S. and eventually the globe. These were not symbolic protests—they were round-the-clock beacons of defiance. Like lighthouses, they pierced the silence and began reshaping public discourse.
Over two months, these student-led actions shifted the narrative around the U.S./Israeli assault on Gaza—from, as the New York Times repeated thousands of times, “the Hamas attack which killed 1,200 people and took 350 hostages” – to a growing recognition of a genocidal campaign against an occupied population.
It’s worth noting that many of the 1,200 Israelis reportedly killed died at the hands of their own military under the provisions of the Hannibal Directive, which mandates lethal force to prevent hostage-taking. Meanwhile, the double standard in language persists: Israelis are “hostages,” Palestinians are “prisoners.”
The Ruling Class was mortified by the Change of Narrative
The bipartisan political establishment and the capitalist class were stunned. Despite near-total control of corporate media, their narrative was losing ground. By June, police—sometimes assisted by Zionist fascists (UCLA)—tore down the encampments.
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- At UCLA, fascist mobs attacked protesters for three hours before the police raided the encampment.
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- In Chicago, “progressive” Mayor Brandon Johnson had police dismantle the School of the Art Institute encampment in just 45 minutes.
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- At DePaul University, they brought the press to photograph the cops draping the Palestinian flag on the business end of a garbage truck.
Project 2024: Shutting Down Dissent
Over the summer, university administrators, security agencies, and likely think tanks ruminated on how to permanently shut down dissent on campus. One might call it Project 2024. When administrators got back in the fall and wrote those papers on what they did on their summer vacations, well the results were straight out of 1984.
Northwestern University’s Thought Control
In February, Northwestern University (NU) rolled out a mandatory bias training to be completed annually. It required students to “confirm and agree” with university policy and is aligned with federal mandates, including Donald Trump’s 2020 executive order, “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.”
That order enshrines the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism—which dangerously conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish hate. Examples include:
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- “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”
But Israel is a racist endeavor—an apartheid state created by the United States, the UK and other imperialist powers to keep the Arab countries in line so the imperialists can steal their resources. Israel is the U.S. cop of the Middle East. Just look how “well” Egypt, Jordan, and Syria are behaving in the face of genocide.
Another “example” of anti-Semitism in the IHRA definition:
“Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
If it looks like a genocide, walks like a genocide and quacks like a genocide—it probably is a genocide.
A Map with No Palestine
The NU training also features a map of “Israel” that includes the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. Palestine is nowhere to be seen. (And did I say Palestine was nowhere to be seen.)
The training also equates pro-Palestine sentiments with quotes from David Duke, the KKK’s most notorious racist figure. One Jewish Voice for Peace member at NU shared an example:
“As a Jewish person, I reject the conflation of my Judaism with Zionism.” NU’s bias training claims this is equivalent to white supremacist rhetoric.
In response, Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine at NU are calling for a boycott of the training.
The Great Tent Panic
Universities have panicked over the presence of tents—those potent symbols of protest. Ironically, NU set up tents in the exact same location for Homecoming last October.
Repression Elsewhere: Columbia, DePaul, Harvard
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- At DePaul University, Students for Justice in Palestine has been sanctioned. They cannot reserve rooms, post flyers, or use social media. The administration has banned tents (Oh those evil tents!), demonstrations, amplified sound, and porta-potties—unless pre-approved.
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- At Columbia University, the federal government has withheld $400 million in funding. The feds are demanding and Columbia has acceded to.
- Banning face masks,
- Requiring protesters to identify themselves,
- Installed NYPD officers with arrest powers on campus,
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- And placing departments like Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies under academic receivership.
- At Columbia University, the federal government has withheld $400 million in funding. The feds are demanding and Columbia has acceded to.
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- On June 4, Trump announced new visa restrictions for foreign students at Harvard, targeting dissenters through immigration controls.
A Chilling Pattern, a Clear Message
All these actions—from detentions to deportations, training modules to media manipulation—are part of a wider witch-hunt. When the facts aren’t on their side and imperialist control of massive resources are at stake, the ruling class will jettison democratic rights in a heart beat.
Israel is the U.S. cop of the Middle East, and U.S. imperialism will stop at nothing to protect it.
What Must Be Done
We cannot remain silent. Hiding our heads in the sand or keeping your nose clean will only embolden them. We must be out in the streets with united front actions. This is the only language they understand.
For a democratic secular Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, where Jews Muslims, Christians and everyone else can live together in peace.
By John Pottinger, Socialist Action Chicago
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