Members of the opposition just disappearing is a hallmark of fascism. We now have our first case in the US.
|
Listen To This Story
 |
Based on Donald Trump’s rhetoric and many of the actions his administration is taking since he was inaugurated, there is a legitimate concern that the US is slowly sliding toward fascism. Or, if the detention of Mahmoud Khalil is any indication, not so slowly at all.
Before we get into what we know about him and his case, it’s important to keep in mind that it doesn’t matter which side you are supporting in the conflict playing out in the Gaza Strip right now. Perhaps you are squarely on the side of Israel and its right to defend itself after the unspeakable atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7. Or perhaps you support the Palestinians who are suffering from unspeakable atrocities committed by Israel since then. Or perhaps you just don’t like unspeakable atrocities being committed by anybody and have a more nuanced view of that conflict.
It doesn’t matter.
Because, based on the information we have right now, his “arrest” should alarm every single American. That qualifier is important because the available facts may change, which would make the case merely troubling and not all-out alarming.
Khalil, who was born in Syria, was one of the leaders of a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus of Columbia University in New York City last year. According to his attorney, he is the holder of a green card, which makes him a legal permanent resident of the United States.
On Saturday, Khalil was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and then (possibly) taken to Louisiana.
Without presenting any evidence or specifics, the administration stated that this arrest was the result of “Khalil [leading] activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
On Monday, Trump also weighed in.
“Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University,” he stated. “This is the first arrest of many to come.”
So who else might be arrested?
“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,” Trump added.
So far, the only “anti-American” activity seems to be the detention of a legal resident, the undermining of the First Amendment, and the threatening of universities with sanctions if they don’t toe the line (Trump just pulled $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University).
If Khalil committed a crime, then he should be charged and not dragged to some detention facility in Louisiana (presumably because the judges there will be more amenable to the arguments from this administration when this case goes to court… if that will even be allowed).
However, the lack of specificity seems to indicate that this is just an attack on the Constitution because, as a legal resident, Khalil has rights that are being trampled.
Less than two months into Trump’s second presidency, a very clear picture emerges: He is using the levers of power to harass and intimidate his opposition.
And it’s not just vulnerable green card holders. Last week, for example, he began targeting law firms that did work on behalf of these opponents.
It is also disconcerting that all of this is done in broad daylight. These are actions meant to send a message: You stand against us at your own peril.
And that is textbook fascism.
In his Navigating the Insanity columns, Klaus Marre provides the kind of hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and often humorous analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
