Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's border czar, told Newsmax on Thursday that the saga of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil has just one ending — deportation.
Homan joined "Finnerty" to react to an appeals court ruling on Wednesday preventing the Trump administration from re-detaining Khalil as it continues to appeal a federal judge's decision to release him last month.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's assertion of "irreparable harm" if Khalil were allowed to remain free while the appeal plays out.
"Well, look, we're going to litigate. We'll appeal the decision ... we got radical judges just trying to stop the Trump administration from doing our job and enforcing the law," Homan said.
"If the appeals court rules on the specifics of the case and rules on what the law says, there's only one ending: We detain him and deport him, but regardless, he will be deported. He's been ordered deported."
Khalil, a green card holder who is married to a U.S. citizen, was released from federal custody in Louisiana last month by a district judge whose ruling superseded that of an immigration judge who ordered that Khalil remain detained.
The Trump administration seeks his deportation for his role in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University and for misrepresenting details on his green card application.
"And the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has full authority to cancel a visa because [Khalil's] indifferent to our foreign policy. And it's not just what he said," Homan said. "I read all these media people, Oh, well, he has his First Amendment rights.
"Look, First Amendment rights have a limitation, too. I can't say I'm going to kill a president, or I can't say a movie theater and say 'fire,' or I can't say something really bad about you on purpose. That's false; that's libel."
"There are limitations, but it's not what he said. It's his actions in addition to what he said. You know, taking over a college building, you know, inciting violence, attacking students because of their religion," Homan added. "Look, he did a lot of bad things. We're going to hold him accountable. He will be deported."
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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