ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The ongoing debate over national security, antisemitism and First Amendment rights continues to brew on college campuses.

This comes following the detainment of a former Columbia University student and the cancelation of federal funding to that school.

What You Need To Know

  • Experts are weighing in on pushing the limits on the First Amendment

  • The Trump administration says some protests on college campuses have crossed the line

  • One former student is being detained and Columbia University is losing $400 million in federal funding

This is an issue about rights – the rights of Jewish students to feel safe on college campuses and the rights of students to express their First Amendment right to protest. However, the Trump administration says some of those protests have crossed the line.

“We consider him a national security threat,” said Trump’s border czar Tom Homan on Wednesday. 

He is talking about Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student now being detained and investigated for what the White House describes as participation in pro-Hamas protests. 

“I think that the Trump administration's detention of this young man is targeted, retaliatory and it's an extreme attack on his First Amendment rights,” New York Civil Liberties Union Assistant Director of Field Organizing Deka Dancil said.

The NYCLU stands behind Khalil. The organization has now joined his legal team, which argues there is no proof Khalil supported any terrorist groups.

“I certainly believe the intention is like a shock awe, right? This is an egregious case of them weaponizing immigration law to suppress the free speech of individuals who don't share their political views,” said Dancil.

But the Trump administration says some colleges, including Columbia, are not doing enough to keep their Jewish Israeli students safe.

“I hear freedom of speech, freedom of speech [and] freedom of speech," Homan said. "Can you stand in a movie theater and yell fire? Can you slander somebody verbally? Free speech has limitations. But when you go to a college campus, you incite, protesting and locking down and taking over buildings and damaging property and handing out leaflets for Hamas, who is a terrorist organization."

“It's intended, I think, to try to strong-arm universities into getting very tough in a disciplinary sense with students who might engage in what is actually protected First Amendment protest. I also think it's part of a larger attack on higher education in general,” said Lucinda Finley, a professor of law at the University at Buffalo School of Law.

Finley teaches First Amendment courses and has been watching what has been happening with Mahmoud Khalil.

“He doesn't have the full First Amendment rights of a U.S. citizen," Finley said. "But as a green card holder, he does have some First Amendment rights. There's a federal statute that permits the government to deport people with permanent resident status, such as green card holders, only if the government can show that they have actually done things that threaten national security. “

“This is a very egregious situation that's going on right here. And it must be stopped,” said Dancil.

“Coming to this country, either on a visa or becoming a resident alien is a great privilege," Homan said. "But there are rules associated with that. You might have been able to get away with that stuff from the last administration, but you won't under this administration."

The Trump administration announced it was canceling about $400 million in federal grants and contracts due to Columbia University’s record on antisemitism, including its handling of pro-Palestinian protests last spring.

And 60 schools are under investigation over antisemitism allegations, including eight in New York state.