The Trump administration has reportedly begun targeting some legal permanent residents, namely “green card” holders, and deportation has been raised by new Legal issues What are the rights of residents and citizens in the United States?
William Jacobson, a law professor at Cornell University and founder of the Equal Protection Program, told Fox News Digital. William Jacobson told Fox News Digital.
Comment as President Donald Trump’s The deportation efforts have been reportedly spread to several green card holders who are legal permanent residents of the United States but are not U.S. citizens. Green card holders aim to raise questions about the constitutional rights of this legal immigrant out of alleged support for terrorist organizations and anti-U.S. sentiment.
Although green card holders have constitutionally protected rights, Jacobson said they also abide by U.S. immigration laws, a set of rules that U.S. citizens do not face.
Video show arrests Colombian anti-Israel leader Mahmoud Khalil
Mahmoud Khalil’s case fired protesters, denounced President Donald Trump’s efforts to deport anti-Israeli agitators who had visas in the United States. (Getty Image)
“The point is the right to freedom of speech… Green card holders, who are actually anyone in the country, have the right to free voice in the First Amendment, but that’s only the first part of the equation,” Jacobson said. “The second part of the equation is that for non-citizens, they are also subject to immigration laws that do not apply to citizens. Therefore, the government has the right to enforce these laws whether on a visa or on a green card.”
The debate centers on the case of former Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, an activist who was arrested this month by federal immigration authorities and faces charges Support the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.
Khalil, a 30-year-old green card holder who has married a U.S. citizen, also accused him of prior employment in the Middle East on his visa application.
Jacobson said the government could take several ways to evacuate Khalil from the country in order to violate the country US immigration law, Although he will obtain due process through the immigration legal system.
“I think there are many reasons to delete him if evidence is available, or at least there are potential reasons to delete him,” Jacobson said.
President Donald Trump listened to White House adviser David Sacks when he signed an executive order in the Oval Office on January 23, 2025. （AP Photo/Ben Curtis）
Colombian student claims to be arrested by Ice “hate America”
Jacobson said these immigration rules apply to all visa and green card holders, and in some cases they can still apply to people who have already naturalized U.S. citizens.
He pointed out that the former U.S. citizen Rasmea Odeh was convicted by an Israeli military court for his involvement in the 1969 Jerusalem supermarket bombing. Odeh was sentenced to life imprisonment and released 10 years in prison among prisoners.
She later immigrated to the United States in 1990 and became a U.S. citizen, but she was convicted in 2014 for covering up her previous conviction and revoking U.S. citizenship.
“So even if you come here and you are naturalized as a citizen, you lie to your application, which is a reason to deprive you of your citizenship and deport you,” Jacobson said.
Mahmoud Khalil allegedly played an important role in Columbia’s protests against Israel. (Ted Shaffrey/file)
Click here to get the Fox News app
He also pointed out that the immigration law has been passed Congress and executed by the president, a system unique to American immigration. Ultimately, such a law has good reason, Jacobson said.
“The idea is that once we recognize that someone enters the country, they can come here to advocate for the destruction of our country, engage in acts of depriving others of the constitutional rights, engage in an organization dedicated to armed struggle and work on destroying Western civilization, and [that] We think this is contrary to a statutory plan and there is nothing we can do. ” Jacobson said.
