Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, recent graduate, and husband to a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant with their child, was dragged away from his Columbia University home by ICE this weekend at the behest of the White House.

His "crime"? Protesting genocide in Gaza.

ICE agents told Mahmoud his visa has been revoked. When his wife showed them his green card, they said that would be revoked, too.

All under direct orders from the White House.

As of now, Mahmoud is being held in an ICE detention center in Louisiana, over 1,300 miles from his family and legal support. For a time, his lawyers didn’t even know where they’d taken him.

Donald Trump has openly declared this arrest as just "the first of many to come."

If we let them do this to one student, they'll do it to all who oppose Trump. Today it’s Mahmoud. Tomorrow it could be any of us.

This is where governors need to lead with courage and clear, unflinching moral conviction.

As California’s next governor, I will direct and organize an immediate statewide divestment from genocide. I will always defend your right to free expression and right to organize. And I will stand in the breach against fascist thugs who weaponize the power of the federal government against their political critics.

Governors have the power — and the responsibility — to protect their residents from egregious abuses of authority no matter where they come from. The governor of the fifth largest economy in the world has more power than most. That power must be mobilized for good.

Make no mistake: The groundwork for this extraordinary abuse was laid plainly during the last administration (and under the rule of our current Democratic governor).

National Democrats openly supported targeting pro-Palestinian voices and punishment for student activists. Without that normalizing rhetoric, Trump would not have the runway to openly trample on our rights today.

The duopoly isn't to be trusted. Not if you value your life and freedom.

This is the path chosen by the two-headed dragon of the current political establishment, and it’s targeting all of us who dare to dissent.

Governors have real power to protect their residents — through executive orders, sanctuary policies, and legal challenges — and I will use every tool at my disposal to protect our communities when elected.

We need your help right now to build our team so California can lead the fight against these abuses of power. Please donate $10, $25, $100, or whatever is in your budget today to send a clear message: We will not allow our rights to be stripped away in silence. Hell no!

Free Mahmoud. Free Palestine.

Peace and Power,
Dr. Butch Ware