- By Ajeet Kumar
- Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:03 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Washington: In the midst of a renewed US effort to address illegal immigration, Vice President JD Vance ignited a firestorm of debate by asserting that possessing a green card does not automatically entitle immigrants to permanent residency in the country. Vance's comments came in the wake of the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and green card holder. A Permanent Resident Card, commonly called a green card, permits foreign nationals-- including those from India-- to reside and work in the US. Yet, Vance emphasised that the term "permanent" is misleading.
"Having a green card doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to stay in the United States forever," he stated during an appearance on Fox News' The Ingraham Angle.
He elaborated, "This isn't just about free speech. To me, it's about national security, sure, but even more so about who we, as Americans, choose to welcome into our nation’s fold."
Silence political expression
The US Immigration and Nationality Act grants the Secretary of State authority to deport immigrants considered a threat to foreign policy interests-- a power legal scholars note is seldom exercised. Khalil’s legal team contends this clause was not intended to silence political expression.
The controversy follows US President Donald Trump’s vow, issued within days of his inauguration, to target students involved in Palestinian advocacy with arrests, deportations, or visa denials.
Khalil's wife, Noor Abdalla, a 28-year-old dentist in her eighth month of pregnancy, spoke to Reuters on March 13. She disclosed that Khalil had asked her, just 48 hours before his arrest, whether she knew how to respond if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents appeared at their home.
Trump would stop visa
On March 10, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction preventing Khalil’s deportation, allowing him to remain in the US as the court examines the circumstances of his arrest. Two days later, on March 12, Abdalla attended a hearing in New York where Khalil’s attorneys argued his detention infringed on his First Amendment rights. The judge prolonged the detention order pending a ruling on its legality, according to Reuters.
Concurrently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio took to X, declaring that the administration would strip visas and green cards from “Hamas supporters in America” to facilitate their removal from the country.
