Manufacturing Consent to Deport Green Card Holders (Permanent Residents)
Recent comments by administration officials suggest green card holders are at greater risk of deportation than ever
Recent comments from Vice President JD Vance, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump about the arrest of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil indicate that green card holders are at risk of deportation for simply exercising their right to freedom of speech. The administration’s doubling down exposes the dubious reasons for targeting permanent residents.
While Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin alleges that “Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas,” many have asked about evidence to bolster this claim but have received no tangible response. When I asked the Department of State, a spokesperson passed the buck saying, “For questions on removals … we refer you to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
On Friday, JD Vance made an appearance on Fox News saying that green card holders don’t “have an indefinite right to be in the United States” despite being permanent residents. He reiterated a common talking point heard recently from several in the administration to justify targeting people like Khalil. Vance continued saying it’s “not about free speech … it's about who we, as American citizens, decide gets to join our national community.”
The administration claims that Khalil promoted antisemitic and pro-Hamas ideas, however, that does not appear to be true. Meanwhile, many in the administration have echoed antisemitic talking points and uphold the racist “great replacement” conspiracy theory which is built on xenophobic and antisemitic ideas. Many in the administration hold similar beliefs, such as the Department of Defense’s deputy press secretary, Kingsley Wilson, who once said, “The Great Replacement isn’t a right-wing conspiracy theory… it’s reality.”
Vance’s is echoing a position heard recently throughout the administration and Republicans in Congress are likely to start parroting it soon enough. Rubio recently posted on X that the State Department “will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters” but no one in the administration will clarify what it believes is and isn’t antisemitism.
Instead, Trump’s White House has made the inherent Islamophobia behind their false claims of antisemitism more evident than ever.
Trump also got in on the messaging campaign on Truth Social saying, “This is the first arrest of many to come” signaling to green card holders that his anti-immigrant crusade includes them too. “We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country,” he continued conflating protest with terrorism as if this was Cuba or Venezuela.
Trump then said, “If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here.” To further highlight the Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiments behind it all, he said this as if we can’t see that the Trump administration sent $12 billion to Israel to continue the slaughter of Palestinian men, women, and children.
Of course Miller got in on the action. He too conflated the right ot free speech with terrorism in a post on X saying, “No one has the “right” to a visa or a green card. If you support terrorism we don’t want you here.” Miller saying things like, “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,” highlight just how far the administration will go and how it tends to use the State Department to perceive power to silence dissent.
A separate example lies in a recent press release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about another Columbia University student who self-deported to Canada. DHS Secretary Krist Noem took the opportunity to add fuel to the anti-immigrant fire, going so far as to claim they had “video footage of her using the CBP Home App to self-deport” but the video they offered only showed someone in what appeared to be an airport.
The video isn’t evidence of anything except someone at an airport. However, simply insinuating that she used the app is enough to rile up those who support these policies. Otherwise, to everyone else, it’s yet another lie among so many – like the false equivalency of protesting against genocide and supporting terrorism.
“Ranjani Srinivasan, a citizen and national of India, entered the United States on a F-1 student visa as [a] doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University. Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hammas [sic], a terrorist organization. On March 5, 2025, the Department of State revoked her visa. The Department of Homeland Security has obtained video footage of her using the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11.”
The statement also included information about the arrest of a third student from Columbia, Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank. Equating protesters with terrorism isn’t a new phenomenon. We’ve seen it throughout history. More recently, Black Lives Matter protesters were being equated with domestic terrorism and supporters of Hamas during the civil rights protests of 2020. We’re seeing it now being employed against people who speak out against genocide.
“Another student Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from [the] West Bank, was arrested by ICE HSI Newark officers for overstaying her expired F-1 student visa. Her visa terminated on January 26, 2022, for lack of attendance. Previously, in April 2024 Kordia was arrested for her involvement in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in New York City.”
The DHS press release ended with a quote attributable to Noem. In it, she emphasizes their linking protesters to terrorism, despite it being fraudulent. Where the idea to include the CBP Home app in all this came from is beyond me, but I can only attribute it to the administration attempting to make it seem as though their policies are working, especially considering it’s struggling to meet the demands it set for itself.
“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America,” said Noem. “When you advocate for violence and terrorism that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. I am glad to see one of the Columbia University terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home app to self-deport.”
The use of phrases that suggest immigrants “don’t have a right” to equal protection under the law, and using words like “privilege” to minimize visa and green card holders' rights is all part of an effort to target nonwhite immigrants. It’s becoming clear that the precedent they’re setting could inevitably lead to federal agencies using seemingly benign posts on social media to target people, whether it be speaking out against police brutality or genocide.
The ultimate goal of messaging like this is to manufacture consent to do it. The more they repeat the lie, the more they think people will justify it. They do it because it works. This strategy only requires people’s opinions to shift subtly, leaving them where they’ll agree that something needs to be done, but not too harshly. We saw this with the mass deportation hysteria and we’ll continue to see it if they keep succeeding.
*I contacted DHS for clarification about Srinivasan’s use of the CBP Home app but have received no response.
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They're so full of shit. They unilaterally decide what constitutes "terrorism," which is anything and anyone that doesn't serve their agenda. Yeah, that's now how this works, except for one little wrinkle: They may just get away with it.
Arturo, the news is bad and it's coming fast and furious. Thank you for what you do. Keep writing. I didn't realize how sneaky the Admin was being yesterday AM, when I turned on the Sunday talk shows, but when I saw and heard Marco Rubio yelling at Margaret Brennan, I didn't even have to understand the words. The strongman is pushing very very hard. We all have to do what we can do to push back in every single way possible.