Can a green card holder be deported from the United States? The recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist involved in organising campus protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict at Columbia University in New York City, has raised questions about the protections foreign students and green card holders have against deportation from the US.
A green holder and student visa holders have been given a privilege. They have no rights
A green card holder has lawful permanent resident status, allowing them to live and work in the US indefinitely. However, this status is not absolute, and deportation remains a possibility under certain circumstances.
Rights and responsibilities of green card holders
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), green card holders have the right to:
< Work in any legal job they qualify for, except some roles restricted to US citizens for security reasons
< Be protected by all US laws, including state and local regulations
They are also subject to specific responsibilities:
< Obey all US and local laws
< File income tax returns and report income to the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities
< Support the democratic form of government (without voting in elections)
< Register with the Selective Service if they are male and between 18 and 25 years old
< Work in any legal job they qualify for, except some roles restricted to US citizens for security reasons
< Be protected by all US laws, including state and local regulations
Can green card holders be deported?
Yes, they can.
“Generally, green card holders have the same First Amendment rights as US citizens. Constitutionally protected speech, including peaceful protest, would not normally be grounds for cancelling a green card. Green cards are typically revoked for serious crimes or other obvious violations,” Russell A Stamets, partner at Circle of Counsels told Business Standard.
“While they have strong legal protections, such as the right to a hearing before an immigration judge and the ability to appeal deportation orders, they can still be removed for reasons like aggravated felonies, fraud, national security threats, or abandoning their residency by staying outside the US for too long,” Aurelia Menezes, partner at King Stubb & Kasiva, Advocates and Attorneys, explained to Business Standard.
As protests over the Gaza conflict ignited rancor and division at Columbia University last year, one student stood out for his role as a negotiator representing activists in talks with the school officials who were desperate to achieve peace on campus.
Mahmoud Khalil, 30, emerged as a public face of students opposed to the war, leading demonstrations and granting interviews. He delivered a message that his side viewed as measured and responsible but that has been branded by some, including the Trump administration, as antisemitic.
Mr. Khalil has been involved in demonstrations as recently as January, when four masked demonstrators entered a class on the history of Israel taught by an Israeli professor at Columbia to accuse the school of “normalizing genocide.” Videos of an unmasked Mr. Khalil at a related sit-in were soon circulated on social media among critics of Columbia’s protest movement, with some calling for him to be deported.
Over the weekend, Mr. Khalil was at the center of the news again. He was arrested by federal immigration officials in a drastic escalation of President Trump’s crackdown against what he has called antisemitic campus activity. Mr. Khalil, a permanent resident of the United States, had been living in Columbia’s student housing when he was detained and then transferred to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena, La.
A green card holder and student visa holders have been given a privilege. They have no rights. Deportation for bad behavior by ICE is a consequence of that behavior. Deporting Mr. Khalil and others who are guests in this country is the right thing to do.
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