Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the decision to revoke the visa and green card of former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, clashing with CBS host Margaret Brennan over the issue during an appearance on Face the Nation on Sunday. Khalil, a 30-year-old Syrian national, was arrested by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials on March 8 due to alleged ties to activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, according to the Associated Press.
During the interview, Brennan questioned whether Khalil had provided any “material support” to Hamas that justified the revocation of his visa and legal status in the U.S.
Rubio made it clear that the Trump administration’s State Department is taking a broader approach to individuals involved in extremist activities on U.S. soil, stating that visa revocations are happening on a daily basis.
“Well, not just the student. We’re going to do more. In fact, every day now we’re approving visa revocations, and if that visa led to a green card, the green card process as well,” Rubio said.
“When you apply to enter the United States and you get a visa, you are a guest. You’re coming as a student, you’re coming as a tourist, or what have you.”
He continued, emphasizing that individuals who misrepresent their intentions upon entering the U.S. should face consequences.
“In it, you have to make certain assertions. If you tell us, when you apply for a visa, ‘I’m coming to the U.S. to participate in pro-Hamas events,’ that runs counter to the foreign policy interest of the United States of America. It’s that simple. So you lied. If you had told us that you were going to do that, we never would have given you the visa. Now you’re here. Now you do it. You lied to us. You’re out. It’s that simple. It’s that straightforward,” Rubio added.
Brennan pushed back, asking whether there was any direct “evidence of a link to terrorism” or if Khalil’s visa was revoked merely due to his personal beliefs.
“Yeah, they take over — I mean, you should watch the news. These guys take over entire buildings. They vandalize colleges. They shut down colleges,” Rubio responded.
Brennan interjected, insisting that CBS had covered campus protests, but demanded specifics on Khalil’s alleged connections.
“We covered it intensely,” Brennan said. “I’m asking about the specific justification for the revocation of his visa. Was there any evidence of material support for terrorism?”
Rubio pushed back, arguing that Khalil was “negotiating on behalf of people that took over a campus and vandalized buildings.”
He further stated that acting as a “negotiator” for such actions was a crime in itself.
“We never should have allowed them in the first place,” Rubio continued.
“If he had told us, ‘I’m going over there, and I’m going over there to become the spokesperson and one of the leaders of a movement that’s going to turn one of your allegedly elite colleges upside down, people can’t even go to school, libraries and buildings being vandalized,’ we never would have let him in.”
Khalil, who referred to himself as the “lead negotiator” for Columbia University’s Apartheid Divest movement in April 2024, was advocating for the university to sever financial ties with companies linked to Israel.
His involvement in these protests, which led to campus disruptions and vandalism, was cited as a key factor in his visa revocation.
Following his arrest, protests have emerged in support of Khalil, as the Trump administration moves forward with plans to deport him.
Rubio did not mince words in his final remarks, doubling down on the decision to remove Khalil from the U.S.
“If you are in this country to promote Hamas, to promote terrorist organizations, to participate in vandalism, to participate in acts of rebellion and riots on campus, we never would have let you in if we had known that. Now that we know it, you’re going to leave,” Rubio said.
He further dismissed the notion that visa holders had an inherent right to stay in the country, emphasizing that their status is conditional.
“We don’t want people in our country that are going to be committing crimes, undermining our national security or public safety. It’s that simple,” Rubio stated.
“I don’t know where we’ve gotten it in our head that a visa is some sort of birthright — it is not. It is a visitor into our country, and if you violate the terms of your visitation, you are going to leave.”
As the administration continues cracking down on foreign nationals linked to extremist activities, Khalil’s case underscores the growing zero-tolerance policy for individuals engaging in anti-American activities while on U.S. soil.
Visit RVM News to read more articles like this.
