Activist Mahmoud Khalil Denounces Trump Administration's Attempts to Silence Pro-Palestinian Voices

Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University activist recently freed from immigration detention, asserts that the Trump administration's attempts to silence pro-Palestinian advocates have ultimately failed. Khalil, who faced potential deportation, reaffirms his commitment to fight for Palestinian rights and criticize governmental policies while receiving support from local politicians.

Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, recently released from more than three months of immigration detention, stated that the Trump administration has not succeeded in suppressing pro-Palestinian voices. "My existence is a message" to the administration, he declared in an interview with the BBC following his return to Newark, New Jersey from a Louisiana detention center. Khalil, known for his role in pro-Palestinian protests last year, was arrested on March 8, an event that sparked widespread demonstrations in New York and Washington, D.C.

The U.S. government is seeking to deport him, alleging that his activism harms foreign policy interests. Speaking to reporters at Newark Airport, Khalil pledged to continue advocating for Palestinian rights and for immigrants who remain in the facility where he was detained. He criticized the White House for attempting to "dehumanise anyone who does not agree with the administration." Holding flowers gifted by supporters, he proclaimed “free Palestine” as he left the press conference with his wife and baby son, who was born during his incarceration.

Khalil was supported by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who asserted that his release demonstrates the Trump administration's losing legal battle against deporting migrants who advocate for Palestinian issues. Earlier, Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was also released on bail after being detained for weeks due to an opinion piece she co-authored critical of Israeli actions; her deportation hearings continue.

Ocasio-Cortez remarked, “The Trump administration knows that they are waging a losing legal battle. They are violating the law, and they know they are violating the law.” Khalil's release came after a judge found he was neither a flight risk nor a threat to his community amidst ongoing immigration proceedings.

In response to the judge's ruling, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson indicated that the administration plans to appeal, questioning the jurisdiction of the New Jersey federal judge's decision on Khalil's release. Jackson stated, "We expect to be vindicated on appeal."