Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian rights advocate and Columbia University graduate, was released after spending over three months in US immigration detention, reuniting with his wife and infant son.
The 30-year-old legal US resident walked free from a Louisiana facility on Friday evening after a federal judge ruled his detention unconstitutional.
Khalil landed at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Saturday. He was met by cheering supporters and walked out with his wife, Noor Abdalla, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Khalil was seen pushing his baby son, Deen, in a stroller, raising his fist with a Palestinian keffiyeh over his shoulders.
Khalil, who faced no criminal charges, was among the most well-known pro-Palestinian students targeted by the Trump administration during campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. ICE agents in plain clothes arrested him in March in front of his pregnant wife.
“If they threaten me with detention, even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine,” Khalil said during a press conference at the airport. “I just want to go back and continue the work I was already doing, advocating for Palestinian rights, a speech that should actually be celebrated rather than punished.”
His release followed a ruling from federal judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, who said the government had failed to prove Khalil posed a flight risk or a danger. “[He] is not a danger to the community,” Farbiarz had said. “Period, full stop.”
The judge further concluded that detaining someone over a civil immigration matter amounted to unconstitutional punishment. The Trump administration has filed a notice of appeal, according to NBC.
Khalil’s release came after mounting public pressure and legal efforts, with support from multiple Jewish students and faculty at Columbia University. Khalil was previously seen as a bridge-builder, acting as a lead negotiator in 2024 between Jewish and pro-Palestinian student groups during the campus protests.
During a past CNN appearance, he said: “The liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand, and you cannot achieve one without the other.”
Khalil had missed the birth of his son, his graduation, and both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day while in custody. He had only briefly been allowed to see his newborn once earlier in June.
“This is not over, and we will have to continue to support this case,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “The persecution based on political speech is wrong, and it is a violation of all of our First Amendment rights, not just Mahmoud’s.”
Upon his release, Khalil said outside the Jena facility, “Trump and his administration, they chose the wrong person for this. That doesn’t mean there is a right person for this. There is no right person who should be detained for actually protesting a genocide.”
“No one is illegal – no human is illegal,” he added. “Justice will prevail no matter what this administration may try.”
As part of the release conditions, Khalil had to surrender his passport and green card and must stay within specific states including New York, Michigan, and Louisiana, notifying authorities of his address within 48 hours, reports the Independent.
On Sunday evening, a rally celebrating his release and demanding freedom for other detained immigrants and Palestinians will be held at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in Manhattan.
The 30-year-old legal US resident walked free from a Louisiana facility on Friday evening after a federal judge ruled his detention unconstitutional.
Khalil landed at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Saturday. He was met by cheering supporters and walked out with his wife, Noor Abdalla, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Khalil was seen pushing his baby son, Deen, in a stroller, raising his fist with a Palestinian keffiyeh over his shoulders.
Khalil, who faced no criminal charges, was among the most well-known pro-Palestinian students targeted by the Trump administration during campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. ICE agents in plain clothes arrested him in March in front of his pregnant wife.
“If they threaten me with detention, even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine,” Khalil said during a press conference at the airport. “I just want to go back and continue the work I was already doing, advocating for Palestinian rights, a speech that should actually be celebrated rather than punished.”
His release followed a ruling from federal judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, who said the government had failed to prove Khalil posed a flight risk or a danger. “[He] is not a danger to the community,” Farbiarz had said. “Period, full stop.”
The judge further concluded that detaining someone over a civil immigration matter amounted to unconstitutional punishment. The Trump administration has filed a notice of appeal, according to NBC.
Khalil’s release came after mounting public pressure and legal efforts, with support from multiple Jewish students and faculty at Columbia University. Khalil was previously seen as a bridge-builder, acting as a lead negotiator in 2024 between Jewish and pro-Palestinian student groups during the campus protests.
During a past CNN appearance, he said: “The liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand, and you cannot achieve one without the other.”
Khalil had missed the birth of his son, his graduation, and both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day while in custody. He had only briefly been allowed to see his newborn once earlier in June.
“This is not over, and we will have to continue to support this case,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “The persecution based on political speech is wrong, and it is a violation of all of our First Amendment rights, not just Mahmoud’s.”
Upon his release, Khalil said outside the Jena facility, “Trump and his administration, they chose the wrong person for this. That doesn’t mean there is a right person for this. There is no right person who should be detained for actually protesting a genocide.”
“No one is illegal – no human is illegal,” he added. “Justice will prevail no matter what this administration may try.”
As part of the release conditions, Khalil had to surrender his passport and green card and must stay within specific states including New York, Michigan, and Louisiana, notifying authorities of his address within 48 hours, reports the Independent.
On Sunday evening, a rally celebrating his release and demanding freedom for other detained immigrants and Palestinians will be held at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in Manhattan.
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