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ICE has officially released Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist arrested in March outside his Columbia University residence after a federal judge ruled his detention was unconstitutional.
Some shit you should know before you read: Back in March, ICE arrested Mahmoud Khalil outside his Columbia University residence, citing concerns over his involvement in pro-Palestinian activism on campus. The Trump administration argued that Khalil’s participation in demonstrations against Israel’s actions in Gaza posed a threat to US foreign policy interests, invoking a rarely used legal provision to justify his detention. Officials claimed his activism was aligned with groups that the administration viewed as hostile to American diplomatic goals, and accused Khalil of engaging in conduct that could be seen as antisemitic.
What’s going on now: After 104 days in ICE detention, Khalil was released from a Louisiana immigration facility following a ruling by US District Judge Michael Farbiarz, who found his continued confinement to be both legally unjustified and constitutionally problematic. Farbiarz also criticized the government’s justification for detaining Khalil, calling it “highly, highly unusual” to incarcerate a lawful permanent resident over administrative allegations related to omissions in an immigration application. Those omissions include Khalil’s failure to disclose affiliations with activist groups, specifically Columbia University Apartheid Divest, during his green card application.
Farbiarz also acknowledged that there appeared to be a retaliatory motive behind the detention, saying, “There is at least something to the underlying claim that there is an effort to use the immigration charge here to punish the petitioner.” In light of these findings, the court ordered Khalil’s immediate release, rejecting the federal government’s last-minute request to stay the decision. As part of the conditions of his release, Khalil was required to surrender his passport to immigration authorities, but was granted access to his green card and allowed to travel to a limited number of states for legal proceedings and “lobbying” in Washington DC.
While leaving the jail, Khalil said, “The Trump administration are doing their best to dehumanize everyone here,” he said. “Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land, doesn’t mean that you are less of a human.”
Despite his release, Khalil’s legal battle is not over. His immigration case continues, and the Trump administration has appealed the judge’s decision to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.
