A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the attempt by the Trump administration to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. The graduate student from Columbia University played an active role in the previous year’s protests against the Gaza War on his university campus. Despite being a permanent U.S. resident, Khalil was arrested over the weekend by immigration authorities. This arrest comes within the context of President Donald Trump’s effort to clamp down on pro-Palestinian protests at universities, which he termed as “the first of many to come.”
Protesters rallied in New York City on Monday in support of Khalil’s release and to criticize the actions of the Trump administration. Columbia University professor Michael Thaddeus, in a statement, expressed his dismay, calling Khalil a political prisoner within the United States. Through an attorney, Khalil maintains he is unaware of the location where he is being held as of Sunday night. The case will be reviewed in court on Wednesday, with Khalil due to appear.
The Department of Homeland Security has accused Khalil of “leading activities aligned with Hamas,” though no detailed evidence has been provided. There were also reports that immigration officers threatened to arrest his pregnant wife, who is an American citizen.
Amy Greer, Khalil’s attorney, called his detention “terrible and inexcusable,” labeling it as part of a broader pattern of “open repression of student activism and political speech by the U.S. government.” The student activist has not been charged with any criminal offense. Moreover, the case has drawn the attention of the New York Civil Liberties Union, whose president Donna Lieberman decried Khalil’s potential deportation as a violation of First Amendment rights.
In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Biden administration has affirmed its commitment to deporting supporters of Hamas within the U.S. This is the first recorded instance of such action. Protests and demonstrations at Ivy League universities were at the forefront of support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel’s impact on Gaza, with tensions running high among the student communities.
Santosh Mehendale – Washington DC Correspondent, BBC News
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gdwy1gjjjo
