Not one of the college students who’ve had their visas revoked have had something resembling due course of. None of them have been accused of crimes. As a substitute, they’re being punished for speech that’s rightly outraged over Israel’s slaughter in Gaza. Sure, Ozturk’s case and others like it can finally all play out within the courts. However individuals are being swept off the streets proper now, on daily basis, and being detained with out authentic trigger. The administration is fast-forwarding to its desired conclusion and daring the courts to cease it, whereas additionally selecting which court docket orders to obey and which to defy. Even when the judiciary have been in some way in a position to cease all of this, the chilling impact stays—which, in any case, is the purpose.
When Rubio was nominated for his present position, there was a gentle sense of shock. The senator was seen as a moderating power, an institution Republican anticipated to be extra dedicated to overseas coverage norms—and, for that matter, the rule of regulation—than the president’s different nominees. And this perception (or hope) was projected on him within the early days of the administration. As Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy within the Oval Workplace final month, Rubio appeared to shrink into the furnishings. Physique language medical doctors on social media and cable information overlaid the image with the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme. Right here, no less than, was somebody who noticed what was taking place round him for what it actually was.
The state of affairs seems to be fairly totally different now. As my colleague Greg Sargent wrote recently, Rubio is probably Trump’s greatest enabler. And his feverish pursuit of authorized immigrants and college students, over speech he and his boss object to, is the administration’s most appalling act to this point. I shudder to think about how a lot worse it can get.
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