NBC's "Law & Order" took on the Israeli-Gaza conflict last night, showing sympathy for a pro-Hamas protester who is in danger of being deported.
The episode, "Truth and Consequences," on Thursday begins on the campus of the fictional "Hudson University." Recreating the violent protests on U.S. campuses last spring, aggressive pro-Gaza protesters start fights with students and professors in the opening scene.
Professor Bennett is later found dead. His wife is a prominent New York judge.
The first potential suspect is a neighbor who had broken into the Bennett home, stolen an Israeli flag from their window, and assaulted a police officer during his arrest. Being New York City, he was quickly released after the incident.
"I mean, you gotta love bail reform. A guy with a history of violence breaks into a man's home, steals his private property, and what happens? Nothing," Lieutenant Brady sarcastically tells detectives.
The neighbor defiantly tells investigators that the Bennetts should have expected a reaction to an Israeli flag in their window. However, he is not the murderer.
The murderer turns out to be a law student in the pro-Hamas encampment whose clerkship offer had been rescinded by Judge Bennett.
Related: Chaos Ensues Between Israeli Soccer Fans and Pro-Palestine Supporters After Game in Netherlands
A Venezuelan student from the encampment named Daniela Rojas can place him near the crime scene, but she is at Hudson on a student visa and does not want to testify.
Left-wing Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun feels sorry for Rojas because her illegal protest activity could get her expelled and deported. She argues with fellow ADA Nolan Price about putting her on the stand.
Price places Rojas on the stand in spite of Maroun's objections. The young woman cries as she is interrogated about her legal status in the United States.
Most normal people recognize that a foreign student in a country must respect the host country's laws. Participating in illegal encampments that block students from freely moving around the campus is insane. All the melodramatic music and furtive courtroom looks cannot change the fact that such actions are reckless.
Nonetheless, "Truth and Consequences" does its best to try to generate pity for this particular activist. "She has been thrown out of school, and she may very well be kicked out of the damn country," Price laments about Rojas' fate.
Her fate is contrasted with the powerful Judge Bennett who refuses to testify about the case because of personal struggles with addiction, leading to a plea deal for the killer.
"Truth and Consequences" never once asks why the U.S. should continue to host a foreign student who breaks the law and participates in anarchy.
This fall, "Law & Order" has portrayed a "right-wing news" journalist and pro-life activists as villains. But a participant in Hamas-supporting campus chaos is sympathetic because she is an immigrant on a student visa!
Follow Us On X