Fri Mar 28 23:21:16 UTC 2025: ## Echoes of the “War on Terror”: Pro-Palestinian Activist Arrests Draw Parallels to Bush-Era Deportations

**New York, NY** – The recent arrests of pro-Palestinian student activists are raising concerns among experts who see a disturbing echo of the Bush-era “war on terror” and its impact on immigrant communities. The arrests, they argue, utilize similar tactics of broad executive power and vague allegations of terrorism to silence dissent.

Asad Dandia, a Muslim community organizer who was himself targeted by NYPD surveillance in a post-9/11 operation, draws a direct line between his experience and the current situation. He points to the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student facing deportation for pro-Palestine activism, where the Trump administration alleges support for terrorism without providing evidence. This mirrors the post-9/11 mass detentions of immigrants from Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities, many of whom were deported without terrorism-related convictions.

Experts highlight the common thread: the presumption of guilt for individuals from targeted communities, fueled by national security rhetoric. The American Immigration Council estimates that 1,200 people were arrested in the initial post-9/11 sweep, while a 2004 ACLU report documented abuses such as solitary confinement and prolonged detention without charges. Professor Nikhil Singh of NYU notes that the post-9/11 climate fostered a belief that the fight against terrorism could occur anywhere within the “homeland,” justifying an expansion of executive power and erosion of due process.

The current situation, critics argue, shows a continuation of this trend. The recent arrest of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student, on similar vague allegations of Hamas support further underscores this concern. While US law prohibits material support for designated terrorist organizations like Hamas, experts like Yale Law Professor Samuel Moyn argue that the recent arrests don’t even meet that threshold, relying instead on the suppression of views deemed contrary to US foreign policy.

The long-term consequences of such actions are significant. Dandia’s organization ultimately shut down due to the chilling effect of surveillance, even without criminal charges. Similarly, the ACLU notes that a significant portion of the Pakistani community in a Brooklyn neighborhood left the area following post-9/11 actions.

Experts warn that unchecked expansion of executive power could lead to further human rights abuses. The lack of accountability for past abuses, they argue, only emboldens future transgressions. The current situation, therefore, is not merely an isolated incident, but a continuation of a troubling pattern rooted in the legacy of the “war on terror,” raising serious questions about civil liberties and due process in the United States.

Read More