WASHINGTON: Vice President JD Vance has said that immigrants should not assume that they can stay in the US for the rest of their lives just because they have a green card. JD Vance clarified that although a green card is a permanent residence document in the US, it does not guarantee lifelong security.

If the president and secretary of state decide that someone is not wanted in the country, then he has no right to remain here, and it is the people of the US who decide whom to admit. Vance added that the security of our country is more important than freedom of expression.

Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, was arrested following a demonstration at Columbia University in support of Palestine during the Israel-Hamas war.

Vance's statement came as the US continues to take steps to revoke his green card. Khalil, who was arrested in New York, is currently in the custody of the Louisiana Immigration Department. According to the American Immigration Act, passed in 1952, the Secretary of State has the authority to deport any immigrant whose presence is detrimental to the country's foreign policy. However, legal experts say this provision is only used in very rare circumstances.