Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, detained by ICE for pro-Palestinian activism, wins release on bail. A federal judge overturned the deportation order, marking a victory for immigration and free speech advocates. Khalil, a permanent US resident, had been held for over three months
Federal Judge Orders Release of Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil: A Victory for Free Speech and Immigration Rights. After three months in ICE detention, Khalil, a permanent US resident, will be released on bail, marking a significant win for advocates opposing Israel's actions in Gaza
Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent US resident detained by ICE in Louisiana for over three months, has been granted release on bail. Arrested in his New York City apartment alongside his then-pregnant US citizen wife, Khalil was separated from his newborn son and family. This victory follows advocacy efforts highlighting concerns over free speech and the targeting of pro-Palestinian activism
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate detained for pro-Palestinian activism, will be released on bail after over three months in ICE custody. His wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, expressed immense relief at his return to their infant son, Deen, stating, "We are celebrating Mahmoud coming home and being reunited with our family." This victory marks a significant win for immigration and free speech advocates
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate detained for pro-Palestinian activism, is finally free on bail. This victory for free speech and immigration rights advocates follows a federal judge's ruling overturning his unjust detention. While the ruling doesn't fully address the injustices faced by Khalil's family and others silenced for criticizing Israel's actions in Palestine, his return to his wife and newborn son in New York City marks a significant moment of celebration for the family and their supportive community
Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to justify Khalil’s deportation by using an obscure provision of U.S. law granting him the power to remove individuals from the country if their presence disturbs U.S. foreign policy.
While Rubio had claimed that Khalil’s leadership role in the college antiwar demonstrations was disruptive, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz said earlier this month that the government was violating Khalil’s free speech rights and had to be released.
Khalil remained in ICE custody, though, on claims from the government that an immigration application he filed contained errors.
Farbiarz ruled Friday that Khalil’s supposed paperwork mistakes similarly did not necessitate his detention while his case proceeds.
Khalil’s lawyers have said the “misrepresentation” accusation, made after his arrest on March 8, is another attempt to punish their client for exercising his free speech rights.
Rubio and others in President Donald Trump’s administration argue that the antiwar demonstrations at universities like Columbia and Harvard were antisemitic and created an unsafe atmosphere for Jewish students — and have cited them as a reason to revoke hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to the schools.
For his part, Khalil has stressed that antisemitism has no place in the movement for Palestinian rights, which includes Jewish activists.
For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can’t do this without you.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can’t do this without you.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
“All Americans should be grateful that Mahmoud had the fortitude to defend basic first amendment principles — and his pursuit of justice for Palestinians — against the administration’s autocratic tactics, which threaten us all,” Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said in a statement. The center is part of a coalition representing Khalil.
“Ideas are not illegal, and no administration should ever incarcerate people for expressing opinions they disagree with,” added Donna Lieberman, executive director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, which is also part of Khalil’s legal team.
Source: Original Article