Marco Rubio took a strong stand for American values by exposing the Left’s hypocrisy on free speech during an intense exchange with CBS host Margaret Brennan. The Florida Secretary of State defended the Trump administration’s decision to revoke visas from pro-Hamas student agitators.
In a bold move, Rubio not only defended the decision but also highlighted the Left’s double standards, emphasizing the importance of protecting the nation’s interests.
The fiery exchange occurred on CBS’s Face the Nation, where Brennan attempted to defend a Columbia University student whose visa was revoked for spreading Hamas propaganda. Rubio countered her arguments with unwavering resolve.
Rubio articulated the facts with clarity—foreign nationals do not have a constitutional right to remain in the United States if they lie about their intentions. He stressed that engaging in radical activism, rioting, and taking over campuses is more than just holding “controversial opinions”—it’s a breach of visa conditions.
Margaret Brennan: I want to ask you about a decision you made to revoke a student visa for someone at Columbia University this past week. The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes:
“The administration needs to be careful. It’s targeting real promoters of terrorism, not breaking the great promise of a green card by deporting anyone with controversial political views.”
Can you substantiate any form of material support for terrorism, specifically to Hamas, from this Columbia student? Or was it simply that he was housing a controversial political point of view?
Marco Rubio: Well, not just the student. We’re going to do more. In fact, every day now we’re approving visa revocations, and if that visa led to a green card, the green card process as well.
Here’s why—it’s very simple. When you apply to enter the United States and you get a visa, you are a guest. You’re coming as a student, you’re coming as a tourist, or what have you. In it, you have to make certain assertions. If you tell us when you apply for a visa, “I’m coming to the U.S. to participate in pro-Hamas events,” that runs counter to the foreign policy interest of the United States of America.
It’s that simple. So you lied. If you had told us that you were going to do that, we never would have given you the visa. Now you’re here. Now you do it. You lied to us. You’re out. It’s that simple. It’s that straightforward.
When Brennan pressed Rubio on whether there was any direct evidence that the Columbia student had a link to terrorism, Rubio delivered the knockout punch.
Margaret Brennan: But is there any evidence of a link to terrorism, or is it just his point of view?
Marco Rubio: Yeah, they take over… I mean, you should watch the news. These guys take over entire buildings. They vandalize colleges. They shut down colleges.
Margaret Brennan: We’ve covered it extensively. I’m asking about the specific justification for the revocation of his visa. Was there any evidence that the materials for a terrorism..
Marco Rubio: Was there any evidence that the spokesperson was negotiating on behalf of people that took over a campus and vandalized buildings?
Negotiating over what? That’s a crime in and of itself—that they’re involved in being the negotiator, the spokesperson, this, that, the other. We don’t need these people in our country. We never should have allowed them in in the first place.
If he had told us, “I’m going over there to become the spokesperson and one of the leaders of a movement that’s going to turn one of your allegedly elite colleges upside down, where people can’t even go to school and buildings are being vandalized,” we never would have let him in.
Now that he’s doing it and he’s here, he’s going to leave. And so are others. And we’re going to keep doing it.
Rubio then deftly turned the tables, exposing the Left’s faux commitment to free speech and highlighting the irony in their defense of Hamas sympathizers while pressing for censorship of American political speech.
Marco Rubio: By the way, I find it ironic that a lot of these people out there defending the First Amendment—alleged free speech rights of these Hamas sympathizers—had no problem pressuring social media to censor American political speech. I think it’s ironic and hypocritical.
In the end, Rubio made it clear: Support for Hamas, vandalism, riots, and rebellion have no place in America. Anyone engaging in such behavior should never have been allowed in the country to begin with.
