Letters to the Editor: How do I explain what happened to Mahmoud Khalil to my students seeking citizenship?

To the editor: I help immigrants prepare to take the citizenship test to become Americans (“What to know about activist Mahmoud Khalil and his attorneys’ plan to appeal his deportation ruling,” April 12). The most common reasons given to me why they want to become citizens are freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the ability to vote. I don’t know what to tell them when they ask me about the detention of Palestinian rights activist Mahmoud Khalil because of what he’s said, or when they wonder whether they will be targeted when they go to their mosque to pray, or when they question if they will be allowed to vote once they become citizens because their identification may not be accepted. Help me to explain to them that we still have freedoms; they’re just not the same for everyone.

Roger Scheuer, Long Beach