In a recent incident that has sparked controversy, Democratic Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib expressed their dismay over the suspension of Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar, from her college. Hirsi was reportedly suspended after participating in a pro-Palestinian protest on campus.

Tlaib took to social media platform X to share Hirsi's post, criticizing the suspension and saying, "From UM to Vanderbilt to USC to Columbia, students across our country are being retaliated against for using their constitutional rights to protest genocide. It's appalling." Ocasio-Cortez also shared Hirsi's post, questioning the sudden suspension of a student with no disciplinary record and calling for an end to discriminatory crackdowns on Palestinian human rights protests.

In her post, Hirsi revealed that she had been suspended from the university for "standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide." She further questioned the circumstances, saying, "How does a student with no disciplinary record suddenly get to a suspension less than 24 hours after a nonviolent protest? What merits asymmetric crackdowns on Palestinian human rights protests?"

Columbia University, where Hirsi is a student at Barnard College, responded to the incident by stating that Columbia and Barnard students had set up an unauthorized encampment on Columbia's South Lawn. The university made multiple requests for the protesters to leave, and senior staff members warned of sanctions and interim suspensions if they did not comply.

This incident comes shortly after the University of Southern California removed its valedictorian from delivering a graduation speech due to "substantial" security risks after discovering her connections to pro-Palestinian sites on social media. The suspensions of students participating in the protest follow a wave of demonstrations and protests on U.S. college campuses following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7.

Additionally, Hirsi's suspension comes just a month after civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against Columbia University for suspending pro-Palestine student groups during the previous fall semester.

The Hill has reached out to Rep. Ilhan Omar's office for comment on the incident, but no response has been received at this time.

It remains to be seen how this incident will further contribute to the ongoing debate surrounding the rights and freedom of expression of students involved in pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.