Khalil charged under legislation originally aimed at communists

Will today's Democrats learn the lessons of the past?

Mahmoud Khalil is a law-abiding permanent resident of the US, but the Trump administration is prosecuting him for his political opinions using a law that war originally aimed at Communists.

The news, broken today by the Washington Post, transforms what was until now a story about free speech and advocacy for Palestine into a much broader episode of class struggle.

In their efforts to deport Khalil, the Trump administration has appealed to the Immigration and Nationality Act. Enacted in 1952, the bill restricted immigration based on race and nationality quotas — but it also contained three crucial provisions:

• Section 212(a)(3)(d) declared inadmissible and ineligible for visas “Any immigrant who is or has been a member of or affiliated with the Communist or any other totalitarian party”;