Marco Rubio's Secret Plan to Deport Students Who Spoke Out Against Hamas Was Based on Misinformation
A new trove of documents has been unsealed, revealing that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration targeted students for deportation because they spoke out in support of Palestinian rights – not because they supported terrorism. The evidence was used as part of a lawsuit brought by five international students and academics who alleged that their deportation orders violated their freedom of expression.
According to internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and State Department documents, the government did not find any evidence that Mahmoud Khalil and Yunseo Chung provided "material support" – meaning cash payment, property, or services – to Hamas. In fact, a DHS memo shows that the government was in uncharted territory and likely to face backlash.
Despite this, Rubio and the administration repeatedly conflated pro-Palestinian speech with support for Hamas. The documents show that DHS and the State Department argued that the students posed a threat to U.S. foreign policy because they participated in protests that fostered a "hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States" and undermined "U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism around the world."
Rubio's claims about Khalil were particularly egregious, with him stating on social media that Hamas supporters would be revoked from their visas and/or green cards so they could be deported.
However, the court orders cited by Rubio and the administration were ignored, and the students ultimately won their cases. But while Khalil has been released from custody, he still faces the possibility of being rearrested and deported to Algeria.
The Intercept's coverage of this story highlights a broader trend in which President Donald Trump is using the government's full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump's project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
As The Intercept's editor-in-chief, Ben Messig, notes, "We need to grow our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026." It's clear that journalism is under threat, but it's also an opportunity for us to come together and demand a better future.
A new trove of documents has been unsealed, revealing that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration targeted students for deportation because they spoke out in support of Palestinian rights – not because they supported terrorism. The evidence was used as part of a lawsuit brought by five international students and academics who alleged that their deportation orders violated their freedom of expression.
According to internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and State Department documents, the government did not find any evidence that Mahmoud Khalil and Yunseo Chung provided "material support" – meaning cash payment, property, or services – to Hamas. In fact, a DHS memo shows that the government was in uncharted territory and likely to face backlash.
Despite this, Rubio and the administration repeatedly conflated pro-Palestinian speech with support for Hamas. The documents show that DHS and the State Department argued that the students posed a threat to U.S. foreign policy because they participated in protests that fostered a "hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States" and undermined "U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism around the world."
Rubio's claims about Khalil were particularly egregious, with him stating on social media that Hamas supporters would be revoked from their visas and/or green cards so they could be deported.
However, the court orders cited by Rubio and the administration were ignored, and the students ultimately won their cases. But while Khalil has been released from custody, he still faces the possibility of being rearrested and deported to Algeria.
The Intercept's coverage of this story highlights a broader trend in which President Donald Trump is using the government's full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump's project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
As The Intercept's editor-in-chief, Ben Messig, notes, "We need to grow our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026." It's clear that journalism is under threat, but it's also an opportunity for us to come together and demand a better future.
Marco Rubio's been tryin to deport students who spoke out 4 Palestinian rights based on misinfo 
like wut? he said they were supportin Hamas but theres no proof 
the gov was all over the place and didnt even know whats goin on 
like, we need 2 protect free speech n all that 
This whole thing with Marco Rubio is just wild 
Like, what's next? Deporting people for liking a certain movie or TV show? 
This whole thing smells like a bunch of misinformation and fear-mongering. I'm glad those five international students and academics were able to fight back against this ridiculous plan 
It's like, we need more journalists like Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras who are willing to take on the tough stories and expose the truth 
This whole post-truth thing is getting out of control, but I'm hoping that 2026 will bring a new wave of investigative reporting that'll keep us on our toes 
anyway glad those students won their cases but still hoping mahmoud khalil gets outta trouble 
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which is SO not cool.
- 71% of americans believe that freedom of speech should be protected (according to pew research, 2020) 
. and 63% of people think that trump's admin has been a threat to the free press 
here's a breakdown of how many people have lost their jobs or faced harassment because of their views on social media since 2017:
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And now, I'm kinda worried about the future of journalism... corporate news outlets being bought out by billionaires is not good 
. But, you know, it's also kind of inspiring that The Intercept is pushing back and all those journalists are speaking up 
.
. And those DHS memos showing the gov't was totally lost and scared to take action? 
Yeah, that's some wild stuff right there.
. But hey, at least it's giving us a chance to talk about it and raise awareness 
anyway guess that's why they say you can't please all the people all the time, Rubio just tried to deport students who spoke out against Hamas but ended up getting roasted instead 
I mean, who targets students for deportation just because they spoke out in support of Palestinian rights? It's not like they were funding Hamas or anything 
.
.
the fact that he was going after students for speaking out about palestinian rights is just appalling 
and what's with him conflating pro-palestine speech with support for hamas? that's like saying anyone who supports a certain team in the nfl is somehow anti-american 
. The government should never have conflated pro-Palestinian speech with support for terrorism, that's just not right 
He said he'd revoke visas and green cards from Hamas supporters... but it was all just a bunch of BS. 
and manipulate the narrative. It's not right, and we need more journalism to hold people in power accountable 
and it's a huge red flag for his immigration policies. I'm glad those students won their cases, but it's still scary to think about the potential consequences for others who may speak out like Khalil 
. And let's also talk about the role of journalists in holding power accountable 
anyhoo, its kinda wild how he conflated pro-palestine speech with support for terrorism 
i mean, that's not cool at all 
sounds like some major xenophobia going on