How Mahmoud Khalil’s Arrest Fits in a Nationwide Crackdown on Free Speech

When ICE agents arrested and abducted Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and recent graduate student at Columbia University, it marked a dramatic escalation of the war against free speech in America. Mr. Khalil was arrested solely in retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian human rights, and he is one of hundreds of other students who the Trump administration wants to deport for the same reason.

But, as the timeline below shows, while the Trump administration supercharged the silencing of dissent across college campuses, the war on speech has been raging for the better part of two years.

 

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Anyone who thinks they won’t be impacted by what’s taking place at universities across the country should think again. If we don’t stop them, these attacks on free speech and academic freedom will have far-reaching impacts on everyone in America for many years to come.