A petition demanding the release of pro-Palestinian student activist has gathered more than 3 million signatures, surpassing the number of people who signed a popular petition calling for regular $2,000 stimulus checks.
Syrian-born Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident who played a key role in last year’s Gaza war protests on Columbia University’s campus, was arrested by federal immigration agents on Saturday.
The Department of Homeland Security has accused him of “activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.” Khalil’s lawyers have said there is no such evidence.
Why It Matters
Khalil’s case has raised questions about free speech and the risk of deportation.
President Donald Trump, who has vowed to take action against pro-Palestinian protesters, has said the arrest was “the first of many to come.”
The petition’s popularity, as well as protests in Manhattan, demonstrate the level of concern.
What To Know
Khalil acted as a mediator between pro-Palestinian protesters and the Columbia University administration during negotiations over tent encampments last year. He was also a member of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group.
The online petition demanding his “immediate release” amassed more than 3,060,000 signatures since it was launched by supporter group Deportation Defense on Sunday.
That is more than the popular petition for regular stimulus checks during the COVID pandemice, which had a little more than 3,050,000 signatures at time of publication.
Khalil’s 8-month-pregnant wife—who lawyers have not named—sent a message to supporters late Monday, telling them: “I urge you to see Mahmoud through my eyes as a loving husband and the future father to our baby. I need your help to bring Mahmoud home.”
The Latest on Mahmoud Khalil’s Case
On Monday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Khalil, who has been removed from New York City and taken to an immingration center about 1,000 miles away in Louisiana.
The White House said on Tuesday that pro-Hamas propaganda was distributed during the campus protests organized by Khalil. One of Khalil’s lawyers, Samah Sisay, dismissed that claim, saying there is no evidence her client provided any support to a terrorist organization.
A hearing on Khalil’s legal challenge began in New York on Wednesday.
His attorney, Ramzi Kassem, told the judge overseeing the case, New York federal Judge Jesse Furman, that it had “hard for us to continue the work the way we would normally” because of their client having been moved.
Judge Furman ordered that Khalil’s attorneys be granted at least one call with him on Wednesday and another on Thursday.
What People Are Saying
Mahmoud Khalil’s attorney Ramzi Kassem outside court after Wednesday’s hearing: “He was taken by US government agents in retaliation, essentially, for exercising his First Amendment rights, for speaking up in defense of Palestinians in Gaza and beyond, for being critical of the US government and of the Israeli government.”
Khalil’s wife said in a press release: “We were not shown any warrant and the ICE officers hung up the phone on our lawyer. When my husband attempted to give me his phone so I could speak with our lawyer, the officers got increasingly aggressive, despite Mahmoud being fully cooperative.
“Everyone who knows Mahmoud knows him to be level-headed even in the most stressful situations. And even in this terrifying situation, he was calm.
“Within minutes, they had handcuffed Mahmoud, took him out into the street and forced him into an unmarked car. Watching this play out in front of me was traumatizing: It felt like a scene from a movie I never signed up to watch.”
Republican Representative Mike Lawler told Newsweek: “Mahmoud Khalil should be deported,” adding: “We must enforce our laws and deport those who actively promote terrorist groups and violent uprising. This is about protecting our country, and especially our Jewish students, from those who seek to perpetuate hatred and violence.”
Khalil’s attorney Amy Greer told MSNBC News: “Mahmoud is a human rights defender. Mahmoud stands for the dignity and human rights for all.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt: “This administration is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans.”
What Happens Next
Khalil is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge in Louisiana on March 27. He remains in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Louisiana.
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