# Trump Channels Washington to Deport Khalil > Trump uses Washington-era tactics to deport Palestinian activist Khalil. - Title: Trump Channels Washington to Deport Khalil · New York Post - Summary: Trump uses Washington-era tactics to deport Palestinian activist Khalil. Trump's administration seeks to deport Syrian-born Palestinian activist Mahmoud… - Keywords: mahmoud khalil, trump administration, george washington, first amendment, alien and sedition acts, ice, columbia university, syrian born, palestinian activist, deportation proceedings, foreign political activist, alien enemies act - Source: New York Post — https://nypost.com/2026/10/21/opinion/trump-channels-george-washington-to-deport-mahmoud-khalil - Published: 2026-10-21T23:13:39+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: mahmoud khalil, trump administration, george washington, first amendment, alien and sedition acts, ice, columbia university, syrian born, palestinian activist, deportation proceedings, foreign political activist, alien enemies act ## Mahmoud Khalil Syrian-born Palestinian activist wants to take deportation case to Supreme Court. > Mahmoud Khalil wants to take the case against his deportation all the way to the Supreme Court ## Deportation Case ICE began deportation proceedings after Trump administration took action. > ICE began deportation proceedings, he was taken into custody at Columbia University, where he was a graduate student ## First Amendment Challenge New Jersey judge released Khalil due to likely First Amendment failure. > A New Jersey judge said ICE had to release Khalil because, in the judge’s opinion, the case against him was likely to fail in the end on First Amendment grounds ## Federal Appeals Court Pennsylvania appeals court overturned New Jersey judge's release order. > A federal appeals court in Pennsylvania overturned the earlier decision that released Khalil from detention ## Historical Precedent George Washington faced similar foreign subversion challenges. > George Washington famously proclaimed America neutral in the conflict between revolutionary France and Great Britain ## Washington's Response Washington believed pro-French groups caused political violence. > Washington even believed these radical, pro-French groups were responsible for political violence, including the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion ## Jefferson's Stance Jefferson supported French Revolution but recognized Genêt's overreach. > Thomas Jefferson was madly in love with the French Revolution, he wrote in one letter he would rather see half the earth desolated and every country reduced to just an Adam and an Eve than let the French cause fail ## Alien and Sedition Acts Congress passed Alien and Sedition Acts to address foreign subversion. > To tackle ongoing foreign subversion, Congress passed, and Adams signed into law, the Alien and Sedition Acts ## Key takeaway Trump's administration seeks to deport Syrian-born Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil using historical precedents to justify removing foreign political activists.