MAGA, Mahmoud Khalil, and the War for Free Speech on Campus
From Things That Go Boom by PRX
March 31, 2025 · 34 min · Season 10 · Episode 7
About this episode
The episode discusses Mahmoud Khalil's activism for Palestinian rights at Columbia University and the implications of US immigration law on his situation.
Mahmoud Khalil became the face of Palestinian rights at Columbia University when the Syrian-born refugee refused to wear a mask and negotiated on behalf of the encampment with the University administration. Now the US wants to deport him using a deep-cut statute in the immigration act that gives the Secretary of State sweeping powers to decide who could have “adverse” foreign policy impacts on the United States. How did we get here? We trace the line back from Charlottesville in 2017 — from domestic extremists fighting on the streets to taking shots in the halls of power. GUESTS: Joseph Howley, Associate Professor of Classics, Columbia University; Diala Shamas, Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights; Chris Mathias, Author, “To Catch A Fascist” (forthcoming); Ben Lorber, Senior Research Analyst, Political Research Associates ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Anti-Palestinian at the Core: The Origins and Growing Dangers of US Antiterrorism Law , Center for Constitutional Rights A Letter From Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil , ACLU
People in this episode
Guests: Mahmoud Khalil, Joseph Howley, Diala Shamas, Chris Mathias, Ben Lorber
Topics covered
- free speech
- Palestinian rights
- immigration law
- campus activism
- US foreign policy
- domestic extremism
Keywords
- MAGA
- Mahmoud Khalil
- Columbia University
- free speech
- immigration
- Palestinian rights
- Charlottesville
- domestic extremism
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Columbia University, Center for Constitutional Rights, ACLU, Political Research Associates
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