What rights have the holders as immigration repression intensifies?

Khalil was arrested the same week as Fabian Schmidt, a German citizen who lives in New Hampshire. Schmidt, who is also the head of the Green Card, was arrested at Logan International Airport in Boston after returning from a one -week trip to Germany to visit his father, his family said.

Here is a quick introduction in the green card process, which includes who qualifies, when you can revoke a card and what is known about recent arrests.

Officially known as a permanent resident card, a green card allows holders to live and work permanently in the country, according to the Citizenship and Immigration Services website of the United States.

The card, which confers permanent legal status to the holders, is different from a visa, which allows people to remain in the US. For purposes such as work for temporary periods, according to immigration lawyers.

There are many eligibility categories for a green card, which include being married to an American citizen, having special labor skills or having a refugee or ASYLEE status.

The application process can take 10 months to several years, depending on the applicant’s situation, according Immigrationhelp.orgA non -profit organization based in New York.

Applicants are completely examined, providing digital footprints, photos and a firm, followed by an interview before making a final decision on the card.

A green card can be revoked for serious criminal convictions or frauds, and also if the holder passes a prolonged period of time outside the United States, according to authorities and immigration lawyers.

The Trump administration has recently arrested some green card holders, including Schmidt, upon arrival at US Airports. Uu. From trips abroad.

It is not clear why Schmidt, 34, was arrested At Logan airport on March 7, after returning from a short trip to Germany. While he was born there, Schmidt has lived in the United States since his adolescence, his family said. It has a green card that was broadcast in 2023 after the previous one lost, they said.

According to his family, Schmidt has fought with drug addiction and alcohol in the past. He has been accused of minor crimes, including possession of a controlled substance, driving under influence, hunting without a license and not appearing in jail, while living in California, according to judicial records.

The records show that Schmidt has attended recovery programs, has paid small fines and was put on probation to resolve its cases.

There are no current charges against him, according to his family.

Elizabeth Sweet, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrants and Refugee Defense Coalition, said she would advise all green card holders with “any type of past criminal history” or any person involved in “the types of activities that seem to be attracting the attention of the administration”, which consult with an immigration lawyer.

Some schools and universities say no, including Brown University.

Ivy League School officials in Providence, Rhode Island, are advising members of the international community, including visas holders and Green Card, to postpone trips outside the country. That recommendation came later Dr. Rasha AlawiehA kidney transplant doctor and assistant professor at Brown Medicine and Rhode Island hospital, traveled to Lebanon to see his parents, but was prevented from re -entered the United States at Logan airport on Thursday.

Federal prosecutors said in judicial documents on Monday that Alawieh was interrogated by customs and border protection agents of the United States at Logan airport about photos on his phone from the Supreme leader of Iran and a leader of Hezbollah, the Libanese militant group backed by Iran.

Having photos of such figures on a cell phone is not a crime under the law of the United States, but “to the discovery of these photos and videos, customs and border protection questioned Dr. Alawieh and determined that their true intentions in the United States could not be determined,” prosecutors wrote.

A Brown official said in a note to the campus community that other green card holders could find problems in the future.

“Potential changes in travel restrictions and travel prohibitions, procedures and visa processing, re -entry requirements and other delays related to trips can affect the ability of travelers to return to the United States as planned,” wrote Russell C. Carey, Brown executive president for planning and politics, in an email on Sunday that was obtained by the Globe.

Mukherjee He said on Monday that green card holders must proceed with caution at this time when making international travel plans.

“Permanent legal residents can wish to consult with a reliable immigration lawyer before traveling abroad,” Mukherjee said in a statement. “It is advisable to evaluate its risk factors before leaving the United States.”

Not necessarily, although some of the recent cases of high profile, including those of Khalil, have been atypical.

“It is not unusual for permanent residents to be placed in elimination procedures in immigration courts,” Mukherjee said. “Permanent residents may be subject to deportation based on convictions for committing serious crimes, participating in fraud or voteing illegally.”

But in the case of Khalil, said Mukherjee, the authorities are citing A federal law section That allows the elimination of permanent residents if there are reasonable reasons to believe that their continuous presence would have adverse “consequences of foreign policy”.

Citating that statute in such cases is “extraordinarily weird,” said Mukherjee. “I am not aware of this reason that has been used as the only position against a legal permanent resident.”

To suggest that “someone’s speech has potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the nation “will be a very interesting case to see play,” Sweet said.

The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said he revoked Khalil’s permission to be in the United States due to his role in pro-Palestinian protests in Columbia, saying that there would be “Antijotón” on October 7, 2023 “.

Khalil’s lawyers have rejected the claims that their client has acted as a supporter of Hamas, writing in judicial presentations that it is “very important” for him “to continue his protected political discourse, advocating and protesting the rights of the Palestinians, both nationally and abroad.”

Last year, Massachusetts was home to an estimated 340,000 green card holders, according to national security data.

The only other state of New England that appears in the DHS data set was Connecticut, where approximately 140,000 green card holders lived in 2024, according to the data.

The four main states of green card holders last year, which comprise more than half of the national count, were California with approximately 2.8 million, New York with 1.5 million and Texas and Florida with 1.3 million each, according to the data. These are also some of the most populated states.

The total of Massachusetts last year represented 3 percent of the national account.

Associated Press’s material and the stories of the previous world was used in this report.

You can contact Travis Andersen in [email protected].