The recent arrests of two Palestinian student activists—Mahmoud Khalil, 30, and Mohsen Mahdawi, 34—have ignited a wave of political condemnation, especially from Vermont’s congressional delegation. But while the rhetoric is hot, the legislation is cold. The same lawmakers decrying these arrests as “immoral” and “unconstitutional” haven’t taken a single step toward changing the actual laws that allowed them.
Lawful Arrests Under a Real Statute
Both men, lawful permanent residents of the United States (green card holders), were detained under Section 237(a)(4)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This Cold War-era law allows for the deportation of noncitizens—including green card holders—if the Secretary of State determines that their presence in the U.S. poses a threat to national foreign policy interests.
It doesn’t require a criminal conviction. It doesn’t require a public hearing. It just requires a determination from the Secretary of State, now Marco Rubio under the Trump administration, that their continued presence would be detrimental.
Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student, was picked up by ICE on March 8, 2025, in New York City. Mahdawi, a philosophy student at Columbia’s School of General Studies, was arrested April 14 at a scheduled naturalization interview in Vermont. Both had been central figures in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, which included physical disruptions of campus activity and allegations of intimidation and harassment of Jewish students.
- AP coverage of Mahdawi’s detention
- NYP: Mahdawi allegedly threatened Jewish students
- NPR: Judge rules Khalil can be deported
What Green Card Holders Can—and Can’t—Do
Contrary to popular belief, green card holders are not immune to deportation. Their status is conditional and comes with a defined set of rules under 8 U.S. Code § 1227:
- Criminal activity: Drug offenses, fraud, theft, violent crime, firearm violations, and “crimes of moral turpitude” can all trigger removal.
- Terrorism or foreign policy grounds: If an LPR is affiliated with or contributes to activity that the government deems a foreign policy threat, even absent a criminal conviction, they may be subject to deportation under INA § 237(a)(4)(C).
- Immigration fraud: Lying on a visa or green card application, or failing to notify USCIS of address changes, are also grounds.
- Public benefits abuse: While rare, misrepresentation for public benefits may lead to removal.
You can view the full law here:
8 USC §1227 – Deportable Aliens
These are not obscure rules hidden in fine print. Green card holders agree to abide by them when they receive status. And lawmakers in D.C.—including Vermont’s delegation—know this.
Vermont’s Delegation: All Outrage, No Action
After Mahdawi’s arrest, Becca Balint tweeted that the Trump administration had sent “masked men to snatch up legal residents to essentially disappear them with no evidence.” She called it unlawful and said she didn’t recognize America anymore. Her words were echoed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Peter Welch, who joined her in condemning the arrests as “immoral, inhumane, and illegal.”
What none of them have done, however, is take any legislative action to amend or repeal the very law they’re decrying.
A search of congressional records shows no bill, no resolution, and no effort whatsoever by Balint, Sanders, or Welch to revise INA § 237(a)(4)(C). Not even a symbolic proposal. Instead, they’ve chosen to shout from the sidelines—blaming the law while refusing to change it, even though that’s literally their job.ibrattleboro.com
The Convenient Politics of Outrage
Why haven’t they proposed a fix? Simple: permanent outrage is politically profitable. If they solved the problem they claim to care about, they’d lose the fundraising leverage. They’d lose the moral high ground they’ve manufactured by pretending to be helpless in the face of a law that they have full power to change.
After all, if they rewrote the law, who would donate to the next campaign email titled “We must stop this tyranny—chip in now!”?
And let’s not forget the irony of Balint criticizing ICE agents for wearing masks—when her own party spent the last four years promoting mandatory masking for everyone from toddlers to truckers. In today’s climate, with activists doxxing and threatening federal employees, the masks may have been for the agents’ own safety, not secrecy.
Time to Legislate or Step Aside
These detentions were not back-alley kidnappings. They were carried out under existing, lawful federal authority, under full judicial review. In fact, a federal judge has already issued a stay in Mahdawi’s case, allowing due process to proceed.
If Vermont’s delegation truly believes the law is unjust, they have the power to introduce legislation to repeal or amend it. They could write a bill. They could lead a hearing. They could put real ideas into the Congressional Record instead of Instagram captions. That’s their job.
Until then, every tweet, press release, and media appearance criticizing lawful enforcement under a law they refuse to touch is just noise—a show of performative politics designed to stir emotion, raise money, and distract from inaction.
America isn’t broken because the law was enforced. It’s broken because the people who write the laws won’t do their jobs.
Dave Soulia | FYIVT
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