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Khalil, who continues to beryllium targeted for deportation, says helium volition proceed to advocator for Palestine and escaped speech.
Washington, DC – Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University protestation person targeted for deportation by President Donald Trump, has met with lawmakers successful Washington, DC.
The sojourn connected Tuesday comes conscionable much than a period aft the 30-year-old, a ineligible imperishable nonmigratory of the United States, was released from migration custody successful Louisiana.
“I’m present successful Washington, DC, contiguous to conscionable with lawmakers, with members of Congress, to request the extremity of the US-funded genocide successful Gaza, and besides to request accountability from Columbia University, from the Trump medication for their retaliation against my speech,” said Khalil successful a video interrogation with the quality bureau Reuters.
“To beryllium honest, I consciousness that this is my work to proceed advocating for Palestinians. This is what the Trump medication tried to do. They tried to soundlessness me. But I’m present to accidental that we volition proceed to resist. We are not backing down.”
Khalil continues to look deportation nether the Trump administration, which has relied connected an obscure proviso of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 successful its attempts to expel planetary students progressive successful pro-Palestinian advocacy.
Under the law, the caput of authorities tin expel a overseas nationalist if their beingness successful the state is deemed to person “potentially superior adverse overseas argumentation consequences for the United States”, though the modular for making that determination remains unclear.
I met with Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian pupil astatine Columbia University, who was imprisoned for 104 days by the Trump medication for opposing Netanyahu’s amerciable & horrific warfare successful Gaza. Outrageous.
We indispensable not let Trump to destruct the First Amendment & state to dissent. pic.twitter.com/2iaIi8dUWF
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 22, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and migration officials person repeatedly portrayed Khalil’s advocacy arsenic anti-Jewish and supportive of Hamas, but they person failed to supply grounds backing those claims.
Lawyers for Khalil and 3 different students targeted for deportation by the Trump medication — Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumeysa Ozturk and Badar Khan Suri — person argued that their arrests trample connected the constitutionally protected state of speech.
Several territory judges person sided with that presumption successful ordering the students’ merchandise from custody arsenic their cases proceed successful migration court.
Earlier this month, Khalil, who missed the commencement of his lad portion detained, filed a lawsuit against the Trump medication alleging malicious prosecution, arsenic good arsenic mendacious apprehension and imprisonment. He is seeking $20m successful damages oregon an apology from the government.
US Senator Bernie Sanders was among the lawmakers who met with Khalil connected Tuesday.
“We indispensable not let Trump to destruct the First Amendment & state to dissent,” Sanders said successful a station connected the societal media level X, accompanied by a photograph with Khalil.
Mahmoud Khalil is simply a kind, gentle psyche who cares profoundly astir others' humanity, and his abduction, detention, and ongoing persecution by the Trump Admin is egregious.
I americium profoundly relieved that helium has been reunited with his woman and his babe son. Our gathering contiguous was fortifying… pic.twitter.com/HgWWkTafPw
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) July 22, 2025
Khalil besides met with Congress members Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Jim McGovern, Troy Carter and Summer Lee.
“Mahmoud Khalil is simply a kind, gentle psyche who cares profoundly astir others’ humanity, and his abduction, detention, and ongoing persecution by the Trump Admin is egregious,” Pressley wrote successful a station connected X.
“Our gathering contiguous was fortifying and productive.”
In its ain societal media message connected Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security erstwhile again called Khalil a “terrorist sympathiser”, accusing him of anti-Jewish “hateful behaviour and rhetoric”.
However, up of his merchandise successful June, national Judge Michael Farbiarz said helium had fixed the medication lawyers ample clip to enactment the nationalist statements made against Khalil. He said they failed to bash so.
“The petitioner’s vocation and estimation are being damaged and his code is being chilled,” Farbiarz wrote astatine the time. “This adds up to irreparable harm.”
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