April 21, 2025 Herb Booker
Beware if you are a green card or visa holder that is returning to the U.S. from overseas because you could end up being detained at the airport or port of entry. If you are a pro-Palestinian activist and a green card or visa holder involved in any of the Gaza war protests on college campuses, the chances of being detained are even more greatly enhanced.
You might ask what the difference is between a green card and a visa. The main difference between a green card and a visa is that a visa is only a temporary authorization that allows its holder to enter and remain in the U.S. for a given period and specific purpose. A Green Card is a permit that serves as proof of its holder’s immigrant status and that allows him/her to reside and work in the U.S. permanently.
Many pro-Palestinian activists are being picked up off the street by ICE if it has been perceived that they participated in any antisemitic activities. The Trump administration is attempting to deport them for their views, and court cases are on-going. These activities may have been as mundane as co-authoring a pro-Palestinian op-ed.
For just a few examples, Mohse Mahdawi, who was a pro-Palestinian student activist at Colombia University, was snatched up at a U.S. citizenship interview in Vermont. Mahdawi feels that the citizenship interview was just a trap so that immigration officials could detain him and hold him for possible deportation. Shortly after Mahdawi’s detention, Federal Judge William Sessions ordered the Trump administration not to deport him or move him out of the state of Vermont while Sessions reviews the case, granting a request from Mahdawi’s attorneys.
Earlier this month, immigration enforcement agents arrested and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a legal US resident and Palestinian activist who was prominent in protests at Columbia last year. The administration has said it revoked Khalil’s green card because his role in the campus protests amounted to antisemitic support for Hamas. He is fighting deportation. Khalil served as a negotiator for Columbia students as they bargained with university officials over an end to their campus tent encampment last spring. He was born in Syria but is a legal US resident married to an American citizen.
I can go on and on, but there are many other pro-Palestinian activists being detained under the ruse of combatting antisemitism. I will be the first person to repudiate and strive to eliminate antisemitism in all of its’ forms, but even pro-Palestinian activists have rights. Although President Donald Trump said throughout the presidential campaign that he would detain and deport foreign students who protested Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, most observers did not imagine his administration would target lawful permanent residents, but that is precisely what Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated he intends to do.
In my opinion, Donald Trump could care less about combatting antisemitism. The pro-Palestinian activist persecutions are a replacement for the Muslim ban in Trump’s first term. Keep in mind, Jahred Kushner secured loans exceeding $3B from middle east countries with $2B coming directly from the Saudis after the end of Trump’s first term. A Muslim ban might be a bit much and could spoil the Saudi gravy train. You definitely can’t do that! People talk about the money Hunter Biden procured from Ukraine, but the Hunter Biden money couldn’t pay the tip on Jahred’s money.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen said he has met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man wrongly deported to El Salvador last month. Van Hollen, who traveled to the Central American country earlier in the week, wrote in an April 17 message on X, “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight, I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love,” he said. “I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.”
Moments before the lawmaker posted a message and image, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele posted three additional photos from the meeting. He quipped that the two were sharing a margarita together, which actually was not true. “Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody,” Bukele said. That mocking comment by President Bukele didn’t ring well with many lawmakers and supporters of Garcia and will not be received well by the judiciary. President Bukele’s comment will probably be used as fodder by Garcia’s lawyers in court proceedings.
The Trump administration is still doing everything they can to sully Garcia’s reputation and insist without proof that he is an MS-13 gang member. Anytime a Trump sycophant casts aspersions on Garcia, you might think that Garcia was the devil incarnate. Attorney General Pam Bondi goes to extreme lengths to convince people that Garcia is MS-13, but when she is asked for proof of Garcia’s gang affiliation, you get crickets. They haven’t proven Garcia’s gang affiliation yet. All we’re getting is lip service from the Trump administration and no proof, plus Garcia has not been convicted of a crime in the U.S. or El Salvador. Nuff said! SEND THIS MAN BACK TO HIS FAMILY!
TARIFFS
One of Donald Trump’s goals with tariffing imports on specified goods is to encourage the return of a high level of manufacturing to the US. Sorry, this isn’t the world of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s anymore. It’s not quite that simple. In the US, there won’t be a bunch of people sitting around putting little screws into cell phones. We can bring back some manufacturing, but we need to pick our spots. The US is the second largest manufacturer in the world now, but we will never come back to the level that we were. We wouldn’t even have enough people to fill those jobs, and could we even pay them enough to make the job attractive? You still have to remain competitive.
Donald Trump current tariff level on imported goods is 245%. For all practical purposes it may as well be one million percent, same difference. At this tariff rate, many small and mid-size business that depend on imported Chines made goods will close their doors; some already have.
Fortunately, the Trump administration paused its new tariffs on electronics imported into the US from China including cell phones, laptops and other electronic items, but many other Chinese made goods still carry the higher levies.
On a personal note, I planned to purchase a new car in July. Since Donald Trump has instituted a 25% tariff on imported car parts, the vehicle that I have planned to purchase has increased in price by over $5,000 within the last few weeks. I’m not saying that I won’t purchase the vehicle, but now I will scrutinize that transaction a lot closer and may even consider purchasing a used vehicle. Hopefully, when the US car manufacturers begin squealing due to reduced sales, Trump will drop the tariff on imported car parts. From a purely selfish standpoint, I hope I am correct.
This week, keep a very close eye on the stock market, bond market, Trump tariff decisions and any Trump rhetoric regarding the Fed Chair!
All opinions herein are solely the opinions of Herb Booker. Comments are welcome and can be sent to hbooker2@yahoo.com, or at the bottom of this page. Next issue, “Is Social Security in Serious Trouble”.