Secretary of State Marco Rubio proposed on Sunday that CBS host Margaret Brennan would “see the news” when he clashed over the cancellation of the visa for former Syrian-born Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil.
Halil, 30, was arrested on March 8 by US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials after being involved in a student camp at a university last year, and is said to have linked him to “activities along Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.” According to To the Associated Press. With both his green card and student visa being revoked, Brennan asked Rubio about “facing the citizens” if there was “material support” that Halil provided to Hamas.
“Well, it’s not just students. I’m going to do more. In fact, I now accept revocation of my visa every day, and if that visa leads to a green card, the same goes for the green card process,” Rubio said. “If you apply to enter the US and get a visa, you are a guest. You are coming as a student, you are coming as a tourist, or what do you have?”
“In that case, you have to make a specific claim. If you say to us, when you apply for a visa, “I am coming to the United States to join America, which is contrary to the interests of the foreign policy of the United States.” It’s that easy. So you lied. If you had said you were going to do that, we would never have given you a visa. Now you’re here. Now you do it. You lied to us. You’re out. It’s that easy. That’s easy,” Rubio added.
But Brennan kept pushing the Secretary of State, asking if there was “evidence of terrorism connection” or if it was simply “his point of view” that officials opposed. (Related: CNN panelists turn around when Scott Jennings calls “Attacked Trump Tower” and “Mob”)
“Yeah, they take over – I mean, you should watch the news. These people take over the entire building. They destroy the university. They have closed the university,” replied Rubio.
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“We covered it violently,” Brennan fought back. “I’m asking about certain justifications for revoking his visa. Did you have any evidence of material support for terrorism?”
Rubio was pushed back against the CBS host, saying Halil is “negotiating for the people who took over campus and destroyed the building.” He added that acting as a “negotiator” is a “crime in itself” before emphasizing that the US “doesn’t need these people” within the country.
“We shouldn’t have allowed them to begin with. If he told us, “I’d go over there, I’d go over there and become one of the leaders of the movement trying to turn one of your elite universities upside down. People can’t even go to school. (Related: “Deportable”: Immigration experts have bad news about liberals defending pro-Hama foreigners)
Since Halil’s arrest, protesters have gathered to his defense now that the Trump administration is trying to deport him. In April 2024, Halil called him the “major negotiator” sold by Columbia University’s apartheid, and the group called for the school to be sold from companies related to Israel.
“If we had known that, we would not have let you in to promote Hamas, promote terrorist organisations, participate in vandalism and take part in acts of rebellion and riot on campus. We know, so you’re going to leave,” Rubio said.
“We don’t want people in our country to commit crimes and undermine national security or public security. That’s very simple,” Rubio continued. “I don’t know where we got it in our heads. Visas are a kind of birthright. It’s not. It’s a visitor to our country and if you violate the terms of your visit, you’re going to leave.”
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