Stephen Colbert Gives Fiery Defense of Arrested Columbia Protester Mahmoud Khalil
Colbert warned about the terrible precedent the arrest sets.
Stephen Colbert has made clear where he stands on the federal detainment of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestine protester who is now facing deportation despite his green card status.
“Another cool thing that is totally normal is arresting folks without any charges,” Colbert said sarcastically in his monologue Wednesday.
“This weekend, here in New York, ICE agents arrested a Palestinian activist who had helped lead the Columbia University protests,” Colbert explained, quoting from an Associated Press article.
Colbert continued, quoting reports from NBC News and Columbia Spectator, explaining how the government has been “detaining Khalil without presenting a warrant or any filed charges, and whisking him to a detention facility in Louisiana without telling his wife, who is eight months pregnant.”
As the crowd booed the news, Colbert said, “If you don’t like that, you have a constitutional right to protest it.”
Colbert further broke down the situation: “Trump’s goons aren’t just jackbooted thugs. They’re also slow-witted doofs.”
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
He explained, “According to the detained man’s lawyer, the ICE agents who took him into custody initially claimed to be acting on a State Department order to revoke his student visa, but his lawyer told them he was actually a permanent resident with a green card, so they said they would revoke that documentation instead.”
“They didn’t even know what they were arresting him for!” Colbert said.
Colbert continued, “Trump made sure to let us know that this was no mistake, posting, ‘This is the first arrest of many to come.’”
“So he’s going to arrest anyone who disagrees with him?” Colbert asked. “Even me, John Oliver? Blimey.”
Colbert warned viewers about the slippery slope Khalil’s arrest could portend.
“Whether or not you agree with this protester and what he did,” Colbert said, “If you think this kind of thing will end with students, I’ve got a wall in Berlin to sell you.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog