The US is a “beacon of hope for millions of people around the world,” he said amid his sweeping deportation campaign.
By Sharon Zhang ,
April 16, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses media during a final press conference as part of the meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs at NATO's headquarters in Brussels on April 4, 2025.JACQUELYN MARTIN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted the closure of a State Department office focusing on foreign disinformation in a self-congratulatory statement crediting himself for being a harbinger of free speech on Wednesday — as he is working tirelessly to hand-pick activists for deportation in a sweeping campaign to crush dissent.
In the press release, entitled “Protecting and Championing Free Speech at the State Department,” Rubio announced that the Trump administration has eliminated the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) office.
The stated goal for the 40-employee hub was to counter foreign disinformation, though right-wingers like Elon Musk and Ben Shapiro have long complained that the office unfairly censors conservative views, as MIT Technology Review reports. (In reality, the State Department has worked for decades to censor groups like left-wingers, Black people and Muslims.)
Conservative outlets like The Federalist and the Daily Wire took particular issue with the office, suing it last year for funding nonprofits that had labeled the right as “unreliable” and susceptible to foreign disinformation — following revelations that right-wing influencers had been paid nearly $10 million by Russian state media employees to influence their audiences into supporting an end to military funding for Ukraine.
Despite shuttering the office for partisan reasons, Rubio made it sound as though the office was being closed in order to save free speech in the U.S. — in a statement filled with ironies as his State Department carries out a brutal crackdown on free speech and dissent.
“Freedom of speech and expression have been a cornerstone of what it means to be an American citizen. For centuries, the United States served as a beacon of hope for millions of people around the world,” Rubio said, ignoring that he is working to deport or imprison thousands of people for whom the U.S. has served as a symbol of hope. “Over the last decade though, individuals in America have been slandered, fired, charged, and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions.”
So far, as of Wednesday, the administration has sought to revoke the visas of at least 1,300 students across the U.S. Rubio has said that this campaign is punishment for the movement for Palestinian liberation and an end to the Gaza genocide that has swept campuses.
“That is not an America our Founding Fathers would recognize. It is the responsibility of every government official to continuously work to preserve and protect the freedom for Americans to exercise their free speech,” he went on. The office, Rubio said, worked to “actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving. This is antithetical to the very principals [sic] we should be upholding and inconceivable it was taking place in America.”
Ironically, many civil liberties groups and advocates for Palestinian rights have said that it is, in fact, Rubio who is working to “actively silence and censor” voices in the U.S. Rubio himself has said in State Department documents that he is targeting activists over their beliefs; in a memo on Rubio’s targeting of pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil, for instance, Rubio admitted that Khalil’s activism was “otherwise lawful.” Rather, the administration is targeting the Columbia University activist for his beliefs only, the memo said.
Similarly, in a memo on the arrest of fellow Columbia activist and Palestinian Mohsen Mahdawi, the administration said that Mahdawi’s participation in pro-Palestine protests weakens the U.S.’s foreign policy interests — in this case, it seems, its goals for the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted the closure of a State Department office focusing on foreign disinformation in a self-congratulatory statement crediting himself for being a harbinger of free speech on Wednesday — as he is working tirelessly to hand-pick activists for deportation in a sweeping campaign to crush dissent.
In the press release, entitled “Protecting and Championing Free Speech at the State Department,” Rubio announced that the Trump administration has eliminated the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) office.
The stated goal for the 40-employee hub was to counter foreign disinformation, though right-wingers like Elon Musk and Ben Shapiro have long complained that the office unfairly censors conservative views, as MIT Technology Review reports. (In reality, the State Department has worked for decades to censor groups like left-wingers, Black people and Muslims.)
Conservative outlets like The Federalist and the Daily Wire took particular issue with the office, suing it last year for funding nonprofits that had labeled the right as “unreliable” and susceptible to foreign disinformation — following revelations that right-wing influencers had been paid nearly $10 million by Russian state media employees to influence their audiences into supporting an end to military funding for Ukraine.
Despite shuttering the office for partisan reasons, Rubio made it sound as though the office was being closed in order to save free speech in the U.S. — in a statement filled with ironies as his State Department carries out a brutal crackdown on free speech and dissent.
“Freedom of speech and expression have been a cornerstone of what it means to be an American citizen. For centuries, the United States served as a beacon of hope for millions of people around the world,” Rubio said, ignoring that he is working to deport or imprison thousands of people for whom the U.S. has served as a symbol of hope. “Over the last decade though, individuals in America have been slandered, fired, charged, and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions.”
So far, as of Wednesday, the administration has sought to revoke the visas of at least 1,300 students across the U.S. Rubio has said that this campaign is punishment for the movement for Palestinian liberation and an end to the Gaza genocide that has swept campuses.
“That is not an America our Founding Fathers would recognize. It is the responsibility of every government official to continuously work to preserve and protect the freedom for Americans to exercise their free speech,” he went on. The office, Rubio said, worked to “actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving. This is antithetical to the very principals [sic] we should be upholding and inconceivable it was taking place in America.”
Ironically, many civil liberties groups and advocates for Palestinian rights have said that it is, in fact, Rubio who is working to “actively silence and censor” voices in the U.S. Rubio himself has said in State Department documents that he is targeting activists over their beliefs; in a memo on Rubio’s targeting of pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil, for instance, Rubio admitted that Khalil’s activism was “otherwise lawful.” Rather, the administration is targeting the Columbia University activist for his beliefs only, the memo said.
Similarly, in a memo on the arrest of fellow Columbia activist and Palestinian Mohsen Mahdawi, the administration said that Mahdawi’s participation in pro-Palestine protests weakens the U.S.’s foreign policy interests — in this case, it seems, its goals for the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Rubio Memo: Mohsen Mahdawi’s Presence in US Undermines Gaza “Peace” Prospects
Federal officials are seeking to deport the Columbia pro-Palestine protester to the occupied West Bank.
By Sharon Zhang ,
Federal officials are seeking to deport the Columbia pro-Palestine protester to the occupied West Bank.
By Sharon Zhang ,
April 16, 2025
Pro-Palestinian activists rally for Mohsen Mahdawi and protest against deportations outside of ICE Headquarters on April 15, 2025 in New York City.Adam Gray / Getty Images
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly claimed in a memo that pro-Palestine activists protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza are undermining the U.S.’s supposed goal of a “peaceful” end to the violence, new reporting finds, providing a glimpse into the paradoxical reasoning being employed by the White House to justify its erosion of free speech rights.
The memo was prepared to supposedly justify the abduction of Columbia University activist and Palestinian Mohsen Mahdawi, and was cited by immigration officials for his arrest on Monday, The New York Times reports. Mahdawi’s arrest has caused an uproar among advocates for Palestinian rights, who say it is clear that the administration is deepening the “Palestine exception” by escalating tactics against those exercising free speech rights to speak out against Israel’s extermination campaign.
According to the Times, the memo claims that Mahdawi is harming the U.S.’s supposed goal, as outlined by President Donald Trump in an executive order, of “combating antisemitism” worldwide — which critics say is a euphemism for plans to target and punish pro-Palestine activists.
The memo dubiously claims that such activism by Mahdawi and others somehow strengthens antisemitic sentiment in the Middle East and therefore sets back the U.S.’s objective of “peacefully” bringing an end to violence in Gaza. As such, the administration’s reasoning goes, the green card holder must be deported to the occupied West Bank, which he has said is akin to a death sentence because of Israel’s slaughter and forced displacement of Palestinians there.
The administration’s reasoning is absurd on its face for numerous reasons.
First, as many Jewish people and experts on racism have noted, the Trump administration is not interested in combating true instances of antisemitism, with Trump and his top allies like Elon Musk repeatedly embracing neo-Nazis and spouting antisemitic rhetoric. Many Jewish people say, in fact, that the administration is making it more dangerous for Jewish individuals in the U.S. who have advocated for Palestinian rights.
Moreover, the U.S. is also clearly not interested in “peace” in the Middle East or in Gaza. Trump and his advisers have repeatedly stoked war with Iran, which would unleash violence across the Middle East, while escalating the U.S.’s slaughter in Yemen.
Trump’s plans for Gaza are anything but peaceful for Palestinians, with the president pushing his plan for the ethnic cleansing of every Palestinian in Gaza. This plan evidently includes sending Israel whatever weapons it needs to continue its genocide, with Israel embarking on one of the most deadly phases of the genocide yet in recent weeks with uncritical support from the U.S.
Further, there is no evidence that Mahdawi or any other targeted campus activists like Mahmoud Khalil or Rumeysa Öztürk have harbored antisemitic sentiments — in fact, much the opposite, with many Jewish students who have interacted with Mahdawi saying that the student repeatedly denounced antisemitism both during and outside of the pro-Palestine protests at Columbia last spring.
As reported by Drop Site, students said he even sought to meet with Zionists in order to try to bridge the gap between their beliefs and form an understanding — despite the fact that he has suffered great personal losses at the hands of Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank.
As a matter of common sense, even if Mahdawi were so instrumental in furthering antisemitic sentiment in the Middle East as the administration has seemingly claimed, it wouldn’t make sense to remove him from the U.S. and send him to the heart of where officials are supposedly working to tamp down antisemitism.
Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly claimed in a memo that pro-Palestine activists protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza are undermining the U.S.’s supposed goal of a “peaceful” end to the violence, new reporting finds, providing a glimpse into the paradoxical reasoning being employed by the White House to justify its erosion of free speech rights.
The memo was prepared to supposedly justify the abduction of Columbia University activist and Palestinian Mohsen Mahdawi, and was cited by immigration officials for his arrest on Monday, The New York Times reports. Mahdawi’s arrest has caused an uproar among advocates for Palestinian rights, who say it is clear that the administration is deepening the “Palestine exception” by escalating tactics against those exercising free speech rights to speak out against Israel’s extermination campaign.
According to the Times, the memo claims that Mahdawi is harming the U.S.’s supposed goal, as outlined by President Donald Trump in an executive order, of “combating antisemitism” worldwide — which critics say is a euphemism for plans to target and punish pro-Palestine activists.
The memo dubiously claims that such activism by Mahdawi and others somehow strengthens antisemitic sentiment in the Middle East and therefore sets back the U.S.’s objective of “peacefully” bringing an end to violence in Gaza. As such, the administration’s reasoning goes, the green card holder must be deported to the occupied West Bank, which he has said is akin to a death sentence because of Israel’s slaughter and forced displacement of Palestinians there.
The administration’s reasoning is absurd on its face for numerous reasons.
First, as many Jewish people and experts on racism have noted, the Trump administration is not interested in combating true instances of antisemitism, with Trump and his top allies like Elon Musk repeatedly embracing neo-Nazis and spouting antisemitic rhetoric. Many Jewish people say, in fact, that the administration is making it more dangerous for Jewish individuals in the U.S. who have advocated for Palestinian rights.
Moreover, the U.S. is also clearly not interested in “peace” in the Middle East or in Gaza. Trump and his advisers have repeatedly stoked war with Iran, which would unleash violence across the Middle East, while escalating the U.S.’s slaughter in Yemen.
Trump’s plans for Gaza are anything but peaceful for Palestinians, with the president pushing his plan for the ethnic cleansing of every Palestinian in Gaza. This plan evidently includes sending Israel whatever weapons it needs to continue its genocide, with Israel embarking on one of the most deadly phases of the genocide yet in recent weeks with uncritical support from the U.S.
Further, there is no evidence that Mahdawi or any other targeted campus activists like Mahmoud Khalil or Rumeysa Öztürk have harbored antisemitic sentiments — in fact, much the opposite, with many Jewish students who have interacted with Mahdawi saying that the student repeatedly denounced antisemitism both during and outside of the pro-Palestine protests at Columbia last spring.
As reported by Drop Site, students said he even sought to meet with Zionists in order to try to bridge the gap between their beliefs and form an understanding — despite the fact that he has suffered great personal losses at the hands of Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank.
As a matter of common sense, even if Mahdawi were so instrumental in furthering antisemitic sentiment in the Middle East as the administration has seemingly claimed, it wouldn’t make sense to remove him from the U.S. and send him to the heart of where officials are supposedly working to tamp down antisemitism.
ICE Seizes Palestinian Columbia Student After Summoning Him for Citizenship Test
Immigration officials called him in for what was supposedly his final interview to become a U.S. citizen.
By Sharon Zhang ,
Columbia’s Acquiescence to Trump Was Disgraceful. As Faculty, We Demand Better.
We cannot conduct business as usual if Columbia’s administrators won’t defend academic freedom or student rights.
By Jessica Halliday Hardie & Ajantha Subramanian , Truthout/InTheseTimesApril 4, 2025
“The Trump administration detained Mohsen Mahdawi in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian,” Droubi said in a statement, per CNN. “His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional.”
If Mahdawi were deported to the occupied West Bank, he would face Israel’s forced displacement campaign, including increased violence against Palestinians by the Israeli military and settlers.
“It’s kind of a death sentence,” Mahdawi told The Intercept. “Because my people are being killed unjustly in an indiscriminate way.”
Mahdawi had helped to lead pro-Palestine protests at Columbia last spring, and is one of nine Columbia students targeted for deportation by the administration. In interviews with the media, Mahdawi had been critical of the university and the general crackdown on pro-Palestine activists under the Biden administration.
“The climate is in a violation of the principle of free speech that universities usually take pride of,” Mahdawi told Al Jazeera’s “The Take” in April 2024. “We have seen what is called the Palestinian exception, where you’re allowed to protest any other issue, but when it comes to Palestine, there is an exception that you should not and you’re not allowed to protest.”
Mahdawi was visited by a FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officer in late 2024, and has been targeted by pro-Israel vigilante groups like Betar and Canary Mission.
Betar — which has given the Trump administration lists of pro-Palestine activists to be targeted for deportation — posted on X about Mahdawi last month, calling for him to be deported after Khalil’s detention. The group said that it had “reason to believe” that Mahdawi and Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha would soon be deported.
Prior to his detention, Mahdawi had reached out to Columbia administrators and his congressional representatives, Senators Bernie Sanders (I) and Peter Welch (D) and Rep. Becca Balint (D), for help. The congressional offices have said they are on standby, per The Intercept, and the lawmakers put out a statement condemning his arrest on Monday. “Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.”
Immigration officials called him in for what was supposedly his final interview to become a U.S. citizen.
By Sharon Zhang ,
April 15, 2025
Columbia University professors demonstrate outside the Columbia campus demanding the release of students, in New York City on May 1, 2024.Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images
Immigration officials abducted a Palestinian Columbia University student, Mohsen Mahdawi, in Vermont on Monday, after they summoned him for what was supposed to be his final test to obtain his American citizenship.
Mahdawi, a green card holder, received an email this month from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) notifying him of an interview that was supposed to be his final step to become a citizen, as first reported by The Intercept. Prior to this, he had been sheltering in place for fear of being abducted by immigration officials, who had abducted fellow Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil last month.
Instead of conducting the interview, masked immigration officials in plainclothes detained Mahdawi when he arrived. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun the process to deport Mahdawi to the occupied West Bank.
A Vermont District judge has issued a temporary order to prevent Mahdawi from being deported or removed from Vermont. However, the Trump administration has been openly defying court orders preventing them from performing deportations.
Like Khalil and others abducted by the Trump administration, Mahdawi is being detained for speaking out against Israel’s violence against Palestinians, his attorney, Luna Droubi, has said. Droubi has said that immigration officials have not confirmed Mahdawi’s location.
Related Story
Immigration officials abducted a Palestinian Columbia University student, Mohsen Mahdawi, in Vermont on Monday, after they summoned him for what was supposed to be his final test to obtain his American citizenship.
Mahdawi, a green card holder, received an email this month from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) notifying him of an interview that was supposed to be his final step to become a citizen, as first reported by The Intercept. Prior to this, he had been sheltering in place for fear of being abducted by immigration officials, who had abducted fellow Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil last month.
Instead of conducting the interview, masked immigration officials in plainclothes detained Mahdawi when he arrived. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun the process to deport Mahdawi to the occupied West Bank.
A Vermont District judge has issued a temporary order to prevent Mahdawi from being deported or removed from Vermont. However, the Trump administration has been openly defying court orders preventing them from performing deportations.
Like Khalil and others abducted by the Trump administration, Mahdawi is being detained for speaking out against Israel’s violence against Palestinians, his attorney, Luna Droubi, has said. Droubi has said that immigration officials have not confirmed Mahdawi’s location.
Related Story
Columbia’s Acquiescence to Trump Was Disgraceful. As Faculty, We Demand Better.
We cannot conduct business as usual if Columbia’s administrators won’t defend academic freedom or student rights.
By Jessica Halliday Hardie & Ajantha Subramanian , Truthout/InTheseTimesApril 4, 2025
“The Trump administration detained Mohsen Mahdawi in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian,” Droubi said in a statement, per CNN. “His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional.”
If Mahdawi were deported to the occupied West Bank, he would face Israel’s forced displacement campaign, including increased violence against Palestinians by the Israeli military and settlers.
“It’s kind of a death sentence,” Mahdawi told The Intercept. “Because my people are being killed unjustly in an indiscriminate way.”
Mahdawi had helped to lead pro-Palestine protests at Columbia last spring, and is one of nine Columbia students targeted for deportation by the administration. In interviews with the media, Mahdawi had been critical of the university and the general crackdown on pro-Palestine activists under the Biden administration.
“The climate is in a violation of the principle of free speech that universities usually take pride of,” Mahdawi told Al Jazeera’s “The Take” in April 2024. “We have seen what is called the Palestinian exception, where you’re allowed to protest any other issue, but when it comes to Palestine, there is an exception that you should not and you’re not allowed to protest.”
Mahdawi was visited by a FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officer in late 2024, and has been targeted by pro-Israel vigilante groups like Betar and Canary Mission.
Betar — which has given the Trump administration lists of pro-Palestine activists to be targeted for deportation — posted on X about Mahdawi last month, calling for him to be deported after Khalil’s detention. The group said that it had “reason to believe” that Mahdawi and Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha would soon be deported.
Prior to his detention, Mahdawi had reached out to Columbia administrators and his congressional representatives, Senators Bernie Sanders (I) and Peter Welch (D) and Rep. Becca Balint (D), for help. The congressional offices have said they are on standby, per The Intercept, and the lawmakers put out a statement condemning his arrest on Monday. “Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.”
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