NYCLU Condemns Unlawful DHS Detention of Student Activist at Columbia

NEW YORK, NY — On Saturday night, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents entered a student residential building at Columbia University in uptown New York and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student and one of the lead negotiators on behalf of pro-Palestine protesters at 2024’s Gaza solidarity encampment. Mr. Khalil, a U.S. green-card holder, was detained while returning from an iftar dinner with his wife, who is currently eight-months pregnant.

According to Dropsite News, Mr. Khalil and his wife had just unlocked the door to their building when two plainclothes DHS agents pushed inside behind them. The agents allegedly did not identify themselves at first, instead asking for Mr. Khalil’s identity, before then detaining him. The agents then claimed that the State Department had revoked Khalil’s student visa, with one agent presenting what he claimed was a warrant on his cell phone. But Khalil has a green card.

In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement, attributable to Executive Director Donna Lieberman: 

“The Trump administration’s detention of Mahmoud Khalil — a green card holder studying in this country legally — is targeted, retaliatory, and an extreme attack on his First Amendment rights.”

“The unlawful detention of Mr. Khalil reeks of McCarthyism. It’s clear that the Trump administration is selectively punishing Mr. Khalil for expressing views that aren’t MAGA-approved — which is a frightening escalation of Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestine speech, and an aggressive abuse of immigration law.”

“Ripping a student from their home, challenging their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint will chill student speech and advocacy across campus. Political speech should never be a basis of punishment, or lead to deportation.”

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