WTH, Great Britain?
President Trump is working to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student who has been an organizer of pro-Hamas rallies and who has been committing crimes, recruiting others to commit crimes, and illegally supporting a terrorist organization as an alien. John has been doing yeoman’s work covering this case.
Immigration law is explicit about the last: you may not have, may not now, nor may you at any point as a visa or green card holder support terrorists. It is black letter law.
The Left is going crazy, because, well, the Left. If it is bad, they support it.
But imagine my surprise to learn that he is also associated with British intelligence and their their foreign policy establishment, and has been for years.
So then the question becomes “ why did @10DowningStreet have a MI6 spy in America organizing/leading violent antisemitic riots and destabilizing universities/cities?”
Sounds like they may want Revolutionary War 2.0.
— JW (@C130GuyBNA) March 12, 2025
Uh, wut? Say again? He has been key to their “soft power” initiatives, which sure sounds like liaising with terrorists in this case.
The White House triumphally posted Trump’s statement and an image of Khalil on X on Monday, accompanied with the words “SHALOM, MAHMOUD” and the accusation that he “led activities aligned to Hamas”.
Khalil graduated with a master’s degree from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs in December.
He was one of the main negotiators for students during the pro-Palestine campus encampment in the spring of 2024.
However, MEE has found that he previously worked as a programme manager at the Syria Office in the British embassy in Beirut from 2018 t0 2022.
Online records reviewed by MEE show that Khalil worked as a local manager for the Syria Chevening Program, a prestigious UK government international scholarship scheme, as well as for the Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund.
‘Loved by his colleagues’
Former British diplomat Andrew Waller, who was a policy advisor at the Syria Office while Khalil worked there, told MEE that the US government’s depiction of Khalil was false and defamatory.
“He went through a vetting process to get the job and was cleared to work on sensitive issues for the British government,” Waller said
“It’s outright defamation what Trump has done. Mahmoud is an extremely kind and conscientious person and he was loved by his colleagues at the Syria Office,” he added.
Well, then, he MUST be a good guy, even if he is recruiting for US domestic terrorist-supporting organizations. He did outreach in SYRIA, a place filled with the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human beings I’ve ever known in my life.
For God’s sake, Britain, how debased can a country be.
Mahmoud Khalil’s group wants to eradicate Western Civilization & foment unrest in the United States. President Trump & @SecRubio are well within their legal rights to deport this radical. We are either going to stand up or become Europe. I’m 100% behind the President. pic.twitter.com/0shUR407pr
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) March 11, 2025
Khalil has been shouting to the world that he wants to “eradicate Western Civilization” and that revolutionary violence is the way to do so. He has led occupations of buildings on Columbia’s campus, been engaged in what amounts to violence used to deprive others of their civil rights, and preaches support for terrorist violence.
But his colleagues in the British embassy in Syria loved him. His job, supposedly, was to increase Britain’s “soft power,” and unless that means promoting violence and revolution, he was doing a pretty crappy job of it. It sounds more like he was recruiting terrorists to get student visas to Western countries.
The Brits are so determined to import Muslims who are promoting violence and Sharia law in their own country that Khalil is their idea of an ideal ambassador to the Syrian community. Syria has been in the midst of a horrific civil war, is filled with ISIS and al Qaeda terrorists, and is probably not the best place to be recruiting the “best and the brightest.”
The Chevening scholarship, which is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), describes its mission as being to “support UK foreign policy priorities and achieve FCDO objectives by creating lasting positive relationships with future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers”.
Waller described it as a “flagship UK soft power policy”.
“It brings the brightest students from around the world to UK universities. Mahmoud ran its Syria programme and interviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants on behalf of the British government.”
Khalil was also a “local staff political officer”, responsible for providing the “contextual understanding and linguistic skills to translate meetings,” Waller recalled.
“It’s really interesting. Less than two weeks ago JD Vance is lecturing Keir Starmer about free speech, and then the US goes and kidnaps Mahmoud Khalil for organising student protests.”
Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told MEE on Monday that Khalil’s arrest was “in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism”.
“Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation.”
It’s not like it’s disputable that Khalil has done these things. It’s not a case of mistaken identity. We have video of Khalil calling for “armed resistance” against Western countries, but the Brits just love the guy and complain that he was “kidnapped.”
There is a false controversy surrounding the arrest and hopefully deportation of Mahmoud Khalil. I’m going to put it to bed. Khalil’s deportation has nothing to do with your free speech. Khalil is facing deportation because of his conduct, including, allegedly, organizing a… pic.twitter.com/MXFcSuaQlU
— Brooke Goldstein (@GoldsteinBrooke) March 12, 2025
There is a false controversy surrounding the arrest and hopefully deportation of Mahmoud Khalil. I’m going to put it to bed. Khalil’s deportation has nothing to do with your free speech. Khalil is facing deportation because of his conduct, including, allegedly, organizing a violent takeover of US campuses with pro-terror elements, conspiring to commit civil rights violations and trespass, building takeovers — this is criminal activity that endangers public safety, and of course endorsing and espousing terrorist activity in contravention of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
I used to love our friends in the Anglosphere, and still love the IDEA of the Anglosphere and the values that the Scottish Enlightenment spread throughout the world.
Yes. Because nothing says anti-war like chanting for a “global intifada.” https://t.co/Agh4J5zA9P
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 12, 2025
But look at what our fellow English speakers have done with themselves. They are destroying freedom, aligning with Islamists who are determined to destroy our societies, and sacrificing their citizens to rape gangs and criminals.
“We’ve tried armed resistance, which is legitimate under international law, but Israel calls it terrorism”
-Mahmoud KhalilAt a session where he indoctrinates students to join the pro terror group CUAD on campus
There shld be no more debate whether Khalil himself supports Hamas pic.twitter.com/EdUd0w7w5L
— David lederer (@Davidlederer6) March 11, 2025
If this is what amounts to Britain’s “soft power,” and this is who they give security clearances to, the UK is farther gone than I imagined.
It’s not just the British, though. The entire left-wing establishment and all the prominent Democrats have rushed to defend Khalil and oppose his deportation. It is their cause du jour.
“Let terror-supporting foreign nationals who have violated the terms of their green card stay in the country or you don’t support free speech!”
Nah, bro. We aren’t doing that. Sorry. Accuse us of whatever you want. https://t.co/1HMGqV0IUB
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 11, 2025
The Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats are fully embracing him too.
Free Mahmoud Khalil. pic.twitter.com/o9AkeXaYyh
— Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (🦋 now on bsky) (@JudiciaryDems) March 10, 2025
Antisemitic much? Anti-American? Anti-Western?
You betcha. That is our transnational elite for you.