Chicago Sun-Times: ADL’s position on Khalil arrest puts freedom of speech at risk

Originally published by Chicago Sun Times

March 24, 2025

By Hedy M. Ratner, ADL Midwest Board Member

As a longtime supporter of the Anti-Defamation League and a board member of ADL Midwest, I am opposed to the national ADL’s position and messaging regarding the imprisonment of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. His arrest, detention, and imprisonment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is unconstitutional, as he is a legal permanent resident of the U.S. I write today, guided by my Jewish and American values, to say: not in my name.

ADL’s stance undermines our precious First Amendment rights. By aligning with the Trump administration, the ADL risks putting freedom of speech and the right to protest in jeopardy for all of us. While I strongly oppose Khalil’s reprehensible positions and actions, his arrest and proposed deportation are unconscionable.

Advocating positions that the administration disagrees with is not a crime. These Trump-era policies are simply a bully’s tactic to silence dissent.

I am particularly troubled by the ADL’s alignment with the right-wing Heritage Foundation’s stance. This position is deeply disappointing—not just to me, but to a substantial portion of the Jewish community and to the majority of Americans.

It is especially ironic that Donald Trump and his administration are now posturing as defenders against antisemitism, despite the far right’s—and the president’s own—history of hatred and indifference toward antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.

As the Jewish Council for Public Affairs recently wrote in *The New York Times*: “Our community should not be used as an excuse to upend democracy and the rule of law.”

I joined the ADL board because of its tireless and effective work combating antisemitism. But this current, short-sighted position betrays our moral compass, our Jewish values, and our First Amendment rights.

—Hedy M. Ratner, Streeterville