Mahmoud Khalil, Palestinian Activist and Permanent American Resident, Disappeared by ICE
Here is what you should know and what you can do to help.
In a vicious assault on First Amendment rights, the Trump Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have detained Mahmoud Khalil, a law-abiding permanent resident of the United States, seemingly on the basis that he has been an Arab figurehead for the Palestinian cause at Columbia University. The university has come under intense scrutiny by pro-Israel American groups over the student body’s highly vocal support of Palestine since Israel’s violent onslaught began in 2023.
Under the direction of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Trump Administration is attempting to invoke a 1952 McCarthyist red scare law originally aimed at Communists in order to justify his imminent deportation without due process.
Trump officials are being nakedly clear that Mahmoud Khalil is being targeted expressly for his political views, not any particular crimes that he may or may not have committed.
Khalil has been baselessly accused of supporting terrorism by various Trump Administration officials without the production of evidence. Some have sought to point to his association with Columbia University Apartheid Divestment (CUAD), an activist entity seeking to compel Columbia to divest from Israel as a means of furthering Palestinian liberation struggles. It’s worth noting that there are many contexts in the United States where boycotting or calling for the boycott of Israel is illegal, another obvious breach of the First Amendment.
Those in favor of Khalil’s deportation have taken statements from random members of CUAD out of context and associated them to him by proxy, even though he himself has made a conscious effort to avoid breaking the law, serving as a lead negotiator between students in protest encampments and campus faculty in the spring of last year.
Regardless of how you feel about Khalil’s political views, the notion that a permanent resident could be arrested, disappeared, or even deported over their politics is one that sets a dangerous precedent. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), and Amnesty International have already condemned the Trump Administration. All Americans should recoil at this injustice.
What Now?
Khalil is currently being held in an ICE detention facility notorious for deplorable conditions in Louisiana. His wife is 8 months pregnant. A judge is currently hearing his case and weighing his release.
Ways to Help
Donate to Mahmoud Khalil’s defense fund.
Call your congressperson and demand that they make a public statement condemning this assault on the first amendment.
Sign the ACLU’s petition to the Acting Director of ICE.
Flood the streets in protest.
Find a protest near you by searching social media or by following reputable organizers:
Today’s initial court hearing drew a number of protestors. If you are in New York, watch for future court dates.
Stay informed by subscribing.