Democratic rep fears party turning antisemitic protesters into 'martyrs' in battle against Trump deportations

New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman expressed fears that his party is turning people who promote antisemitic views into "martyrs" in their rush to oppose President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has come under fire from Democrats over its efforts to deport and revoke the visas of foreign students who have taken part in anti-Israel and pro-Hamas protests across college campuses since Oct. 7.

While Goldman said this was an overreach and "abuse of the First Amendment" by the Trump administration, he advised his fellow Democrats to be careful in defending people with antisemitic views.  

DEMS DISAGREE ON WHETHER PARTY HAS ANTISEMITISM PROBLEM

Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., called on Democrats to address antisemitism within their own wing. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images | Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"We are seeing, because of Donald Trump’s overreach, that people who have espoused antisemitism are becoming martyrs, and that scares me," Goldman said at a Jewish Democratic Council of America conference on Thursday. 

He insisted that instead more time needs to be devoted to discussing the remaining American hostages in Gaza, of which only one is still alive.

"[I]f we allow our party to focus so much on these detentions of people who have espoused antisemitism, and we’re not talking about these hostages who have truly been treated as horribly as anybody and are American, in the five cases, we’re losing the forest for the trees," Goldman said.

Goldman, who co-chairs the House Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, also advised Democrats, particularly Jewish Democrats, to call out antisemitism on the left and not allow Trump to distract them.

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Goldman said opposition to Trump cannot allow Democrats to support antisemitic views. (Getty Images)

He encouraged Republicans to do the same and called out the Trump administration for using concerns over antisemitism to advance an agenda.

"The fact that Donald Trump is abusing his power in the name of antisemitism is very troubling and so it has become harder to find common ground for the task force," Goldman said. 

Goldman was one of 21 House Democrats who signed a letter in 2024 urging Columbia University’s Board of Trustees to disband "the unauthorized and impermissible encampment of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish activists on campus." 

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