Mahmoud Kahlil. Mahmoud Khalil supporters came out in force to protest against his arrest at Columbia University. Andrea Renault/STAR MAX
Detained Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil has denounced his arrest and detention conditions pending possible expulsion from the United States over accusations of supporting Hamas.
He also criticized the U.S. treatment of immigrants in custody and what he described as mounting anti-Palestinian racism at the university and elsewhere.
Sending a message for the first time from the Louisiana Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Center via NGOs, Khalil called his detention unjust and referred to himself as a "political prisoner."
Newsweek has reached out to ICE and Columbia University's Office of the President for comment.
Why It Matters
Khalil's arrest is a test case for the policies of President Donald Trump, who has pledged to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses and called it "the first arrest of many to come."
It has been condemned by human rights advocates and students who say it is a challenge to the right to protest and freedom of speech. His detention also sparked large street protests in New York, demanding his release.
What To Know
In a letter published by several non-governmental organizations advocating for Palestinian rights, which they said was dictated over the phone from the ICE detention facility, Khalil said his arrest was a direct consequence of exercising his "right to free speech" and advocating for an "end to the genocide in Gaza."
The war in Gaza since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked intense campus activism at Columbia, leading to confrontations between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel students, a heavy police presence, and disciplinary actions against some protest organizers, including suspensions and degree revocations.
Plainclothes officers arrested Khalil, a green card holder, from his Columbia University residence on March 8. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused him of ties to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, but his lawyers deny any evidence supports this.
In his letter, Khalil denounced the circumstances of his arrest, saying security agents forced him, handcuffed, into an unmarked car, and threatened his wife with arrest. He reported sleeping on a cold floor and being denied a blanket at 26 Federal Plaza and a New Jersey facility, and saying that he was among "humans crowded into the cells" at ICE.
A day before his arrest, Trump's administration cancelled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, accusing the university of an ongoing failure to address the repeated harassment of Jewish students.
Katrina Armstrong, the university's interim president emphasized commitment "to working with the federal government to address their legitimate concerns," vowing "serious action toward combatting antisemitism on our campus."
The Syrian-born Palestinian activist Khalil accused the university of silencing students who criticize Israel. Columbia Journalism Faculty members expressed concerns over Khalil's arrest without charges and said many students feared coming to classes and events on campus.
What People Are Saying
Mahmoud Khalil: "My unjust detention is indicative of the anti-Palestinian racism
that both the Biden and Trump administrations have demonstrated over the past 16 months as the U.S. has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention. For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand U.S. laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans, and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted. The Trump administration is targeting me as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent. Visa-holders, green-card carriers, and citizens alike will all be targeted for their political beliefs. In the weeks ahead, students, advocates, and elected officials must unite to defend the right to protest for Palestine."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking on CBS News: "We're going to keep doing it...these guys take over entire buildings, they vandalize colleges... Negotiating on behalf of people that took over a campus, that vandalized buildings, that's a crime in and of itself, that they're involved in being a negotiator, the spokesperson."
"And if you tell us, when you apply for a visa, 'I'm coming to the U.S. to participate in pro-Hamas events,' that runs counter to the foreign policy interest of the United States of America. If you had told us that you were going to do that, we never would have given you the visa."
Amnesty International: "The U.S. government must release Mahmoud Khalil immediately. Colleges and universities must also take steps to protect their immigrant students from ICE enforcement and ensure that the human rights of all of their students and faculty to protest in support of Palestinian rights and other issues is respected and protected."
What Happens Next
Khalil awaits legal decisions regarding the accusations as he tries to fight expulsion.
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This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 6:04 AM.