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@DropSiteNews

Mar 29, 2025 • 10 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X

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REPORT: The Trump administration is attempting to deport non-citizens due to their perceived pro-Palestinian support or criticism of U.S.-Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Here’s an updated list of those known to have been targeted by the U.S. government: 🧵🔽

1. Mahmoud Khalil (Targeted: March 8, 2025)

Khalil, a 30-year-old Syrian-born Algerian citizen and Columbia University graduate student (master’s in international affairs), was arrested on March 8, 2025, at his Manhattan apartment. He’s detained at the ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana, facing deportation after the Trump administration accused him of risking “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States,” per a DHS document cited by The Guardian. On March 23, DHS filed additional claims, alleging he “withheld that he worked for [UNRWA]” and “failed to disclose continuing employment by the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut” on his 2024 green card application, per Reuters. In Newark federal court on March 28, Judge Michael Farbiarz said he’d rule “as quickly as I can” on jurisdiction and bail, leaving Khalil in custody pending a decision.

2. Dr. Rasha Alawieh (Targeted: March 10, 2025)

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a 34-year-old Lebanese kidney transplant specialist set to join Brown University, was deported on March 10, 2025, upon re-entry from Lebanon. DHS accused her of supporting ex-Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, claiming photos on her phone showed “support for a terrorist figure,” per her lawyer’s statement to CNN. Despite a judge’s order against removal, she’s now in Lebanon, with her legal team fighting to reverse the deportation.

3. Yunseo Chung (Targeted: March 10, 2025)

Yunseo Chung, a Korean-American Columbia University undergrad studying political science, was targeted after her March 10, 2025, arrest at a Barnard sit-in. She’s not detained—a judge barred ICE from holding her—after DHS accused her of “concerning conduct likely to adversely affect U.S. foreign policy,” per a notice to appear cited by Newsday, tied to a misdemeanor from pro-Palestinian protests. Her legal challenge, arguing free speech as a longtime resident, continues without a deportation date.

4. Leqaa Kordia (Targeted: March 15, 2025)

Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank was detained on March 15, 2025 in the Newark NJ field office. She was previously arrested for her participation in the protests. Her visa was terminated in January 2022 for lack of attendance, officials said. Leqaa is currently at an ICE center in Alvarado, Texas, with ICE alleging she “overstayed her visa and engaged in activities threatening public safety,” per an AP statement, linked to protest presence. No hearing updates exist; she remains in custody as deportation looms.

5. Momodou Taal (Targeted: March 17, 2025)

Momodou Taal, a 31-year-old UK-Gambian doctoral student in Africana studies at Cornell, was briefly detained on March 17, 2025, after his visa was revoked over campus protests. He’s free, suing Trump after ICE claimed he “engaged in disruptive protests violating visa terms,” per a Cornell Sun report. His federal case, asserting free speech, has a hearing set for March 31; he’s not currently detained.

6. Badar Khan Suri (Targeted: March 19, 2025)

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University studying peace and conflict, was arrested on March 19, 2025, in Virginia and is detained in Jena, Louisiana. DHS accused him of “spreading Hamas propaganda” and "close connections to a known or suspected terrorist” per a March 20 ICE filing cited by NBC News. His lawyers seek release, arguing no evidence exists; his case remains unresolved.

7. Ranjani Srinivasan (Targeted: March 20, 2025)

Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian doctoral student at Columbia studying sociology, fled the U.S. on March 20, 2025, after ICE searched her residence. The State Department revoked her visa, alleging she “advocated violence and terrorism” through pro-Palestinian views, per a DHS notice quoted by The New York Times—she denied organizing protests. Self-deported to Canada, her case is closed unless she returns.

8. Rumeysa Ozturk (Targeted: March 25, 2025)

Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish doctoral student at Tufts studying child development, was detained on March 25, 2025, in Massachusetts and transferred to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile. DHS accused her of “supporting Hamas,” it appears through a 2024 Tufts Daily op-ed where she argued for divestment from Israeli genocide and the “equal humanity and dignity of all people.” A federal judge’s order against moving her out of the state was ignored; her team demands release, with a government response due March 31.

9. Alireza Doroudi (Targeted: March 25, 2025)

Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama studying mechanical engineering, was detained on March 25, 2025, in Alabama, awaiting transfer to Jena, Louisiana. DHS accused him of posing “significant national security concerns,” per a March 25 ICE statement to Reuters, after revoking his visa in 2023—his lawyer says he stayed legal. He’s in custody, with deportation pending unless overturned; no hearing date is set.

Legal status of each:

1.Mahmoud Khalil - Columbia University
•Legal Status: Legal Permanent Resident (LPR). He’s a green card holder, married to a U.S. citizen, but ICE detained him over alleged ties to pro-Palestinian groups.

2.Ranjani Srinivasan - Columbia University (also NYU adjunct)
•Legal Status: Student Visa (F-1). Her visa was revoked for “advocating violence and terrorism,” per the administration; she self-deported to Canada.

3.Yunseo Chung - Columbia University
•Legal Status: Legal Permanent Resident (LPR). Moved from South Korea as a child, targeted for deportation after a protest arrest, but a court order has paused ICE action.

4.Badar Khan Suri - Georgetown University
•Legal Status: Exchange Visitor Visa (J-1). An Indian postdoctoral fellow, detained by ICE for alleged Hamas propaganda; he’s fighting deportation from a Louisiana facility.

5.Momodou Taal - Cornell University
•Legal Status: Student Visa (F-1). Dual UK/Gambian citizen, visa revoked for “disruptive protests”; he’s challenging it in court and hasn’t been detained yet.

6.Rumeysa Ozturk - Tufts University
•Legal Status: Student Visa (F-1). Turkish doctoral student and Fulbright scholar, detained by ICE after an anti-Israel op-ed; held since March 25, 2025.

7.Alireza Doroudi - University of Alabama
•Legal Status: Student Visa (F-1). Iranian Ph.D. student, detained for “national security concerns” after his visa was revoked in 2023, though he’d maintained student status.

8.Leqaa Kordia - Columbia University (not officially enrolled)
•Legal Status: Expired Student Visa (F-1). Palestinian from the West Bank, detained for overstaying her visa (expired 2022) after protest involvement; held in Texas.

9.Rasha Alawieh - Brown University
•Legal Status: Work Visa (H-1B). Lebanese doctor and professor, deported March 14, 2025, despite a valid visa, after admitting to attending Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral; her lawyer is fighting to reverse it.

• • •

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Mar 8

https://twitter.com/easybakeovensz/status/2030700313267540435

🚨 CONFIRMED: Footage reviewed and geolocated by Bellingcat confirms US tomahawk missiles hit the girls’ primary school in southern Iran that killed 180 people, most of them children.

Researcher Trevor Ball notes Israel does not possess Tomahawk missiles. United States does.

https://twitter.com/easybakeovensz/status/2030700313267540435

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Feb 28

🚨 BREAKING: Iran Launches Strikes on U.S. Bases Across the Middle East

▪️Explosions seen at the U.S. Naval Base in Al-Juffair, Bahrain, confirmed by Bahrain.

▪️Alarm sirens followed by up to four explosions in Kuwait.

▪️Massive explosions reported in Abu Dhabi.

▪️In Qatar, an official source at the Ministry of Defense told Al Jazeera that an Iranian missile was intercepted by the Patriot air defense system.

Iran had warned that any U.S. attack would be met with attacks on American bases and interests across the region, with a goal of killing a minimum of 500 American soldiers.

More images from Bahrain where the Bahrain News Agency confirms that the service center of the US Fifth Fleet was targeted by a missile attack.

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Feb 27

⭕️ LEAKED Email: Kat Abughazeleh “firmly an interventionist,” foreign policy adviser says

Kat Abughazaleh, a socialist Democratic candidate in Illinois’ 9th District and one of the only Palestinian-Americans seeking office in 2026, was described by her national security adviser as “firmly an interventionist” who “won’t stop until Russia is made to pay for its crimes,” in written responses detailing her foreign policy vision, obtained by Drop Site.

Ben Mermel wrote in an email to a Washington-based progressive foreign policy activist that Abughazaleh believes “the world is better off when America takes a leading role” and that the U.S. has “an obligation to support pro-democracy movements around the world, from Iran to Venezuela.” He added that “Kat wholly supports the National Endowment for Democracy, as well as its affiliated organizations (NDI, IRI, and the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center),” and said Congress should expand tools “from sanctions to NGO support” to advance those efforts without always resorting to “kinetic force.”

The DC-based activist had written to Mermel saying he had noticed unusually hawkish language on the campaign website related to Ukraine and Taiwan and was looking for clarification.

In his response, Mermel said that on Taiwan she would amend the Taiwan Relations Act by “dropping our strategic ambiguity” and make clear the U.S. would counter Chinese aggression “with force,” arguing the region now requires “a firmer hand.”

On Ukraine, Mermel wrote she would “hold the line,” support “funding the Ukrainian war effort to the hilt,” back long-range strikes on Russian strategic targets, deploy additional U.S. “air, naval, and ground assets” to NATO’s front line, and that “She supports the seizure and redistribution of Russian assets in Europe and the United States, for the purpose of financing the war effort.”

Abughazaleh did not respond to a request for comment, but a source close to the campaign told Drop Site that the adviser’s email did not accurately represent her views, saying, “Kat is committed to taking on authoritarianism but is vehemently against the military industrial complex and the continuation of failed US intervention approaches.” Abughazaleh has consistently argued against U.S. support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and, at a recent forum, said she opposes U.S. strikes on Iran.

Mermel in 2024 attended a pro-Israel protest held to counter the encampment at George Washington University. He has been Abughazaleh’s National Security Adviser since July 2025, according to Legistorm. The full exchange is posted below. Watch the report on Breaking Points:

Here is the full email exchange that has been circulating among foreign policy activist circles. Drop Site confirmed its authenticity: 🧵

"On Wed, Jan 21, 2026 at 10:24 PM XXXX wrote:

Hi Ben, Great to hear from you -- I appreciate the prompt response. It's great to hear that a primary campaign has an NSA on board and is taking the issues seriously already. If you don't mind, I'm going to fire off a series of questions: 1. On your personal background: How did you come into this position, and what led you to choose this work? I see on Legistorm that you're from the Northeast and went to school here in DC (and have probably actually lived here longer than I have in total). What drew you to Kat's campaign and Illinois politics? 2. What has your role in the nascent primary fight been like, and what role do you see foreign policy playing in the race? The AIPAC and Israeli genocide points are obvious ones, and I've seen some of the recent reporting on Biss (as I alluded to). Are there any other major issues or demographic blocs in the district that are affecting the race? Schakowsky's office has a long history of good work opposing U.S. support for bad governments in Central America, though I've never been sure if that stemmed from the district's makeup or from the personal interests of the Congresswoman or her team. 3. Are there any members of Congress -- especially in the House -- that you and the campaign look to for inspiration or as a model for your foreign policy approach? As for the platform: 4. This line in particular stands out to me: "As with regard to Taiwan, the United States must continue to support Taiwan in the face of increasing Chinese aggression and attempts to undermine Taiwan’s internationally recognized status as a state of its own." The U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as a state of its own -- only a dozen or so small countries do -- and this a longstanding policy ("One China") meant to prevent U.S.-China and cross-Strait conflict. Independence is also a hotly debated topic in Taiwan, and the DPP's position does not represent a Taiwanese monolith. Previous moves by U.S. officials toward treating Taiwan as an independent country, outside the Taiwan Relations Act, drove U.S.-China relations to their lowest point in recent memory. Is the campaign's position that the U.S. should change this policy status quo and support Taiwan's independence? 5. The first paragraph of the entire foreign policy page argues "we must support democratic movements worldwide while still avoiding unnecessary military intervention." While I agree that supporting democracy movements is an admirable goal, has the U.S.'s tremendous and unwavering support for the genocide in Gaza not severely undermined its credibility to do this? What would this "support" entail in Congress -- would it include the kinds of National Endowment for Democracy-sponsored groups long favored by interventionists in the State Department, or sanctions on repressive countries?..."

"6. The platform also mentions very early on that "Putin's war in Ukraine presents one of the most brazen instances of an illegal and immoral invasion of one country by another since World War II." Putin's invasion has certainly been flagrantly illegal and cruel, though I do find it interesting that this "most brazen instance of illegal and immoral invasion of one country by another" is mentioned several paragraphs before Israel's invasion of Gaza. The paragraph continues: "The United States must exert significant diplomatic pressure on Russia and its allies to end the war and recognize full Ukrainian sovereignty over its rightful territory, including Crimea" -- what sort of diplomatic pressure would this entail, and what would the prospective congresswoman do to affect it? Which allies of Russia would the U.S. pressure in this case? Additionally, while Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea was flagrantly illegal, no experts on the conflict think Ukraine has any chance of retaking the territory by military force, or that Russia would ever cede the territory. Is it worth drawing hard conditions on territory recognition if those conditions potentially undermine a peace deal and prolong the brutal war and suffering for Ukrainians? For context, I worked on a Congressional letter supporting peace negotiations in 2022 which attracted plenty of controversy from superficially pro-Ukraine Democrats, even though Ukraine was in a much stronger position to negotiate then than now.

I apologize for the wall of text and wordy questions; the latter three are active debates among the FP-oriented left in DC and issues that actively come up for progressive or "Squad" offices and their teams. I only ask out of my own passion for the issues, intellectual curiosity, and to see how insurgent progressives are approaching FP. Please feel free to respond on your own time with no rush from me -- I realize I'm merely an outside observer and a fan and thus a low priority. I appreciated the campaign's statements against Trump's illegal Venezuela attack and his threats toward Iran, and I'll continue to follow and root for Kat to fight and win.

Thanks for your time and all the best,"

Read 9 tweets

Drop Site

@DropSiteNews

Feb 26

⚡️NEW at @DropSiteNews: Palantir's AI Is Already Playing a Major Role in Tracking Gaza Aid Deliveries

As Israel bans NGOs, the U.S. is handing aid delivery in Gaza to private companies pursuing their own agendas.

By Jonathan Whittall (@_jwhittall)

dropsitenews.com/p/palantir-ai-…

Palantir Technologies has a permanent desk at the U.S.-led Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) headquarters in southern Israel, three sources from the diplomatic community inside the CMCC told Drop Site News.

According to the sources, the artificial intelligence data analytics giant is providing the technological architecture for tracking the delivery and distribution of aid to Gaza.

The presence of Palantir and other corporations—along with recent changes banning non-profits unwilling to give data to Israeli authorities—is creating a situation in which the delivery of aid is taking a backseat to the pursuit of profit, investment, and the training of AI products, experts say.

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Drop Site

@DropSiteNews

Feb 12

🚨France, Germany, Italy, and the United States have escalated attacks on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, demanding her resignation over remarks she did not make.

Here’s everything you need to know:

1. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and the leading Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused Albanese of calling Israel the “common enemy of humanity.”

2. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot went further, branding her a “political activist who stirs up hate,” accusing her of comparing Israel to the Third Reich, and announcing France will formally demand her removal at the UN Human Rights Council session on February 23, 2026. He insisted she must resign immediately.

🔴3. But Albanese never called Israel the “common enemy of humanity.” She described the system enabling genocide in Palestine as humanity’s common enemy. The quote has been widely misrepresented.

4. French officials also criticized her for appearing at the Doha Forum alongside a Hamas leader and Iran’s foreign minister. In fact, she was not on stage with those figures. Paris has long accused her of “justifying” the October 7 attacks for contextualizing them within decades of occupation, a characterization President Emmanuel Macron previously called a “disgrace.”

5. The Trump administration has previously demanded her removal and imposed sanctions on her for documenting Israel’s crimes.

6. Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul echoed the push, writing: “I respect the UN system based on independent rapporteurs. However, Albanese has made numerous inappropriate statements in the past. I condemn her recent statements on Israel. Her position is untenable.”

7. Italy’s foreign minister also supported her removal, stating that Albanese’s positions “do not reflect those of the Italian government” and that her “behaviors, statements, and initiatives are not appropriate for the position she holds within a body of peace and guarantee such as the United Nations.”

8. Supporters, including various scholars, say the campaign is political retaliation for her reports on Israeli human rights violations.

9. Amnesty International France called Paris’s move a “shameful misrepresentation,” stating: “No, Francesca Albanese did not designate Israel as the common enemy of humanity… We denounce this attack on the independence of her mandate.” The group added it was “shocking” that France’s foreign minister repeated false claims while publicly prioritizing the fight against disinformation.

10. In an interview with L’Humanité, Albanese responded to @jnbarrot: “Everyone makes mistakes, it’s human. But we correct, we rectify,” calling on him to apologize and retract his false comments.

11. The backlash has not come only from Western governments.. “We don’t agree with much of what she says. We wouldn’t use the language that she’s using in describing the situation,” the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said.

The fight now centers on whether @FranceskAlbs, an independent UN Special Rapporteur can continue documenting Israeli crimes without political reprisal.

🎥 Video via L’Humanité. References in reply.

https://twitter.com/franceskalbs/status/2020983308818186721

Albanese’s full comments here:

https://twitter.com/franceskalbs/status/2020983308818186721

https://twitter.com/amnestyfrance/status/2022023387594567964

Amnesty 🧵

https://twitter.com/amnestyfrance/status/2022023387594567964

Read 8 tweets

Drop Site

@DropSiteNews

Feb 4

🧵 1/
Human Rights Watch shelved a report concluding that Israel’s decades-long denial of Palestinians’ right of return constitutes a “crime against humanity,” prompting the resignation of its entire Israel-Palestine team: Israel-Palestine director Omar Shakir and assistant researcher Milena Ansari.

Drop Site News spoke directly with Shakir and reviewed internal HRW emails and other documents. The story: 🧵🔽

2/
The 43-page report had completed Human Rights Watch’s full internal review process over seven months, including sign-off from HRW’s legal team and divisions covering refugees, international justice, women’s rights, and children’s rights.

It was halted roughly two weeks before its scheduled publication on December 4.

3/
Shakir said the report traced Israel’s policies from the 1948 expulsions through the present-day emptying of refugee camps in Gaza and the West Bank.

It was based on interviews with 53 Palestinian refugees and fieldwork across Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Shakir said he hoped it would open “a path to justice for Palestinian refugees.”

Read 10 tweets

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