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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Republicans call for immigration reform in Colorado following Boulder attack
DENVER (KDVR) — Reactions are still pouring in from across the world in light of the attack on a group marching in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Politicians responded Monday, too, with some calling on policy reform here in Colorado. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are condemning the attacks, but Republicans here at home in Colorado and in Congress are calling in state leaders to reform immigration laws after Homeland Security announced the alleged perpetrator had overstayed his visit. Total injured in Boulder attack increases to 12 'Complete shock and disbelief that something so terribly inhumane can happen to people in 2025,' said Colorado state Representative Ron Weinberg was disgusted and disheartened when he learned of the attack in Boulder. The Jewish representative immigrated to the U.S. from South Africa as a young man. 'I try to not put identity politics first. I try to make sure I'm a lawmaker for the city of Loveland and the state of Colorado first and kind of federal policy and everything else aside must be dealt with on the federal level. That's where I try to deal with that. But when it comes to my families and my heritage, my whole family was affected by the Nazis,' Weinberg said. Weinberg says he doesn't want to politicize the issue so soon, but he says he does understand the frustration over Colorado's immigration laws. 'There is some truth behind the three branches of government in this state: the executive, the legislative and judicial branches being sort of run by one party. And the checks and balance system in this state, there is no check and balance. Without making this political, Democrats and Republicans need to come and work together to sort these issues out,' said Weinberg. Sentiments echoed by his former colleague, who now serves in Congress, Congressman Gabe Evans. 'An individual like this who was present in the United States and has been planning this attack from upwards of a year, we probably could have stopped this if we didn't have the limitations on the sanctuary state that we have here in Colorado,' said Evans. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Mohamed Soliman, the alleged perpetrator in Sunday's attack, was in the U.S. illegally from Egypt. According to DHS, he came to the U.S. in 2022 under a tourism visa. They say that his B-2 visa expired in February 2023, though he had been trying to seek asylum in the U.S. since September of 2022. Congressman Evans blames Colorado's immigration laws for the attack, despite the state never identifying as a sanctuary state and DHS removing a list that had most Colorado counties identifying as such. Suspect charged with federal hate crime after attacking pro-Israel group in Boulder 'These sanctuary laws handcuff law enforcement in their ability to go out and work with their federal counterparts to get violent criminals like this and outright terrorists like this individual that we saw commit this crime up in Boulder. They can't get them out of the community if they can't work with ICE,' Evans said. 'Federal, state and local law enforcement need to be able to share information with each other. So my advice to the statewide Democrats in Colorado is get with the program and allow state and local law enforcement to work with their federal counterparts. Otherwise, you are helping other antisemitic terrorists commit crimes like what we saw in Boulder.' In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump said the incident is 'Another example why we must keep our borders secure.' Congressman Evans is asking state lawmakers to repeal the immigration laws that are currently in statute. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Mohsen Mahdawi, released from Ice custody, graduates from Columbia
Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, released just over two weeks ago from federal detention, crossed the graduation stage on Monday to cheers from his fellow graduates. The Palestinian activist was arrested by immigration authorities in Colchester, Vermont, while attending a naturalization interview. He was detained and ordered to be deported by the Trump administration on 14 April despite not being charged with a crime. Several students cheered for Mahdawi, 34, who was draped in a keffiyeh as he walked across the stage. He blew a kiss and bowed, one video showed. Then he joined a vigil just outside Columbia's gates, raising a photograph of his classmate Mahmoud Khalil, who remains in federal custody. 'It's very mixed emotions,' Mahdawi told the Associated Press. 'The Trump administration wanted to rob me of this opportunity. They wanted me to be in a prison, in prison clothes, to not have education and to not have joy or celebration.' He is one of several international students who have been detained in recent months for their advocacy on behalf of Palestinians. The Trump administration is attempting to deport them using an obscure statute that gives the secretary of state the right to revoke the legal status of people in the country deemed a threat to foreign policy. Mahdawi was released two weeks later by a judge, who likened the government's actions to McCarthyist repression. Federal officials have not accused Mahdawi of committing a crime, but argued that he and other student activists should be deported for beliefs that may undermine US foreign policy. For Mahdawi, who earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Columbia's School of General Studies, the graduation marked a bittersweet return to a university that he says has betrayed him and other students. 'The senior administration is selling the soul of this university to the Trump administration, participating in the destruction and the degradation of our democracy,' Mahdawi said. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion He pointed to Columbia's decision to acquiesce to the Trump administration's demands – including placing its Middle Eastern studies department under new leadership – as well as its failure to speak out against his and Khalil's arrest. Khalil would have received his diploma from a Columbia master's program in international studies later this week. He remains jailed in Louisiana as he awaits a decision from a federal judge about his possible release. As he prepares for a lengthy legal battle, Mahdawi faces his own uncertain future. He was previously admitted to a master's degree program at Columbia, where he planned to study 'peacekeeping and conflict resolution' in the fall. But he is reconsidering his options after learning this month that he would not receive financial aid. For now, he said, he would continue to advocate for the Palestinian cause, buoyed by the support he says he has received from the larger Columbia community. 'When I went on the stage, the message was very clear and loud: they are cheering up for the idea of justice, for the idea of peace, for the idea of equality, for the idea of humanity, and nothing will stop us from continuing to do that. Not the Trump administration nor Columbia University,' he said.
