Green Card holders face deportation risk as Trump’s America red flags political activism

The Trump administration has issued a strong warning to foreign students and green card holders in the United States, saying that anyone found supporting terrorist groups or engaging in activities seen as threatening to U.S. security could face deportation. According to a TOI report by Chidanand Rajghatta, senior officials on Monday signaled that they would take a strict approach toward political activism by foreign nationals, including participation in anti-Israel protests on U.S. college campuses, which officials described as supporting groups like Hamas.

Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor to former President Donald Trump, said, "No one has the ‘right’ to a visa or a green card. If you support terrorism we don’t want you here." His remarks came as a New York judge temporarily stopped the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student arrested for alleged support of the Palestinian cause during campus protests.



Miller, known for his tough stance on immigration, posted on X, "Vast numbers of foreign nationals who support terrorism and reject American values have been awarded visas. Revoking them is a national security imperative. We must only admit those who embrace the core principles of our civilization."

Although the government has not detailed the specific reasons for Khalil’s arrest, Tom Homan, Trump's border enforcement official, suggested that Khalil’s activism may violate the terms of his U.S. residency. Homan said on Fox Business, "Did he violate the terms of his visa? Did he violate the terms of his residency here, you know, committing crimes, attacking Israeli students, locking down buildings, destroying property? Absolutely." However, no formal charges have been filed against Khalil so far.

Homan added, "Any resident alien who commits a crime is eligible for deportation." He argued that campus protests related to Gaza went beyond free speech and entered criminal activity supporting a terrorist group.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Khalil was arrested for "activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization." The department said this move is part of implementing President Trump’s executive orders and protecting U.S. national security.

While Judge Jesse Furman of New York has stayed Khalil's deportation pending a review of the case, the administration may invoke a provision of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. This provision allows for the deportation of any foreign national whose presence or activities are believed to pose serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the U.S.

Tom Homan suggested that Khalil could be the first among many to be deported under this approach. Former President Trump echoed this in a post on social media, saying, "ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of @Columbia University. This is the first arrest of many to come." Trump added, "We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it."

The case has sparked political controversy. Democratic lawmakers, including Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, criticized the detention, calling it an "illegal action" that sets a "dangerous precedent" against the constitutional rights to free speech and due process.

Meanwhile, some Trump supporters argue that even naturalized citizens showing similar support should be deported. The debate continues as Khalil's case becomes a key test of how far U.S. authorities can go in policing foreign nationals' political speech under immigration law.