'We're going to keep doing it': Marco Rubio warns that visa holders who support terrorist groups will be deported

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the decision to revoke Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil’s green card, stating that visa holders who support terrorist groups should face deportation. Rubio made the remarks during an appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday.

Khalil, who was detained by DHS and faces deportation, was involved in anti-Israel protests on Columbia’s campus, including the occupation and vandalism of university buildings. His green card was revoked by the Department of State, a move that has drawn criticism. 

The Wall Street Journal editorial board released a piece in which it argued the Trump administration “needs to be careful that it is targeting real promoters of terrorism, and not breaking the great promise of a green card by deporting anyone with controversial political views.” When asked about these criticisms, Rubio dismissed such concerns, emphasizing that visa holders must abide by US laws and policies.

“When you apply to enter the United States and you get a visa, you are a guest,” Rubio said. “And in it, you have to make certain assertations and if you tell us when you apply for a visa, ‘I'm coming to the US to participate in pro-Hamas events,’ that runs counter to the foreign policy interest of the United States of America. It's that simple. So, you lied… if you had told us that you were going to do that, we never would have given you the visa. Now you're here. Now you do it. You lied to us. You're out.”

When pressed by Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan on whether there was evidence linking Khalil to terrorism, Rubio highlighted his involvement in vandalism and unlawful occupation of campus buildings.

“That's a crime in and of itself,” Rubio stated. “We don't need these people in our country that we never should have allowed them in in the first place. If he had told us, ‘I'm going over there, and I'm going over there to become the spokesperson and one of the leaders of a movement that's going to turn one of your allegedly elite colleges upside down,’ people can't even go to school, library buildings being vandalized. We never would have let him in. We never would have let him in to begin with. And now that he's doing it and he's here, he's going to leave, and so are others, and we're going to keep doing it.”

Rubio criticized those defending Khalil’s free speech rights, arguing that the same individuals had previously supported censorship of American political speech.

“I find it ironic that a lot of these people out there defending the First Amendment speech, alleged free speech rights of these Hamas sympathizers, they had no problem, okay, pressuring social media to censor American political speech. So it's, I think it's ironic and hypocritical.” 

“If you are in this country, to promote Hamas, to promote terrorist organizations, to participate in vandalism, to participate in acts of rebellion and riots on campus. We never would have let you in if we had known that and now that we know it, you're going to leave,” Rubio added.

He concluded by reinforcing that visas are not a right but a privilege.

“We don't want people in our country that are going to be committing crimes and undermining our national security or the public safety,” Rubio said. “I don't know what we've gotten it in our head that a visa is some sort of birthright. It is not. It is a visitor into our country, and if you violate the terms of your visitation, you are going to leave.”

Khalil, who completed his studies in December, was still living in university-owned housing when he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. DHS stated at the time of his arrest that he “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. According to The New York Post, Khalil participated in protests that took over Barnard College’s Milstein Library, which reportedly included violent propaganda flyers sourced from the "Hamas Media Office."