The Trump administration has detained and is trying to deport student activists

Mahmoud Khalil. After his detention, the White House gloated on social media, Shalom Mahmood.

This is a very critical moment now to free Mahmoud and also to fight for our free speech rights here in this country.

To discuss further, I'm joined by constitutional lawyer Mara Verhaden Hillard. to free Mopmood and also to fight for our free speech rights here in this country.

To discuss further, I'm joined by constitutional lawyer, Mara Verhaden Hillard.

Mara, you and I began to work together back in 2019 when I sued the state of Georgia over

its anti-BDS law, an egregious First Amendment violation, and you were my representative alongside Care.

So it's really great to have you back on Empire Files today to break down the flagrant

unconstitutionality of the pending deportation of student activists Mahmoud Khalil.

Well, I think what we're witnessing right now with Mahmoud Khalil and the efforts

throughout the Trump administration are exceptional, extraordinary, and unconstitutional.

This is what's fascinating, is there's this kind of debate raging on about whether or not

the First Amendment applies to green card holders and not just

U.S. citizens. Can you first just clarify that point? The First Amendment applies to persons

inside the United States. It is a constitutional requirement that the government cannot single

people out, punish them, or suppress speech because the government is ideologically opposed to that speech.

That is exactly what we're seeing happen right now with Mahmoud Khalil, who was abducted by DHS agents and taken away from his family, his wife, who was eight months pregnant, and sent to a center in Louisiana.

And Marco Rubio followed up by declaring on X, formerly, Twitter, saying,

we will deport green card holders.

And then Trump, of course, followed up with his own statement of declaration,

stating that this is the first of many that will incur the same fate, Mara. What does that

mean exactly? Can we just break down? Because look, I'm a product of the war on terror. I've

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