'Disgrace': John Oliver shares personal terror as he slams Trump arrest of protester
John Oliver reacted to the arrest and deportation attempt of pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil by sharing his personal fear of being kicked out of the U.S.
The British-born comedian, who became a U.S. citizen five years ago, shared his personal turmoil on Last Week Tonight Sunday.
Mahmoud, a green card holder and Columbia University graduate, was arrested a week ago.
“Maybe you feel different about the Israel-Palestine conflict than Khalil does. Maybe you don’t agree with the things that I’ve said about it,” said the comedian. “But if someone can be deported as a green card holder for speech in support of Palestine, or anything this administration objects to — that should chill you to the bone.”
And it brought back memories of his own fears.
“I know what it’s like to live in constant fear of being kicked out of somewhere you see here as your home,” he said, reminding viewers that he started work at the Daily Show on a visa.
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“Anyone who has been through the U.S. immigration process has probably had a lot of anxious feelings stirred up this week.”
Trump’s government is claiming the law allows it to deport any alien “whose presence or activities” “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
“Look, this clearly isn’t going to be the last assault on immigrants or the right to protest from this administration,” said Oliver.
“There is still a lot of uncertainty about how this particular case will play out in the courts. But the public response to this should be unequivocal. Because this arrest was a f---ing disgrace.”
He then pointed to a photo of himself at his naturalization ceremony.
“That is what deep relief looks like,” he said.