Protect Free Speech: Stop Unlawful ICE Detainment of Immigrants (UPDATED 3/27)
Updates
March 27, 2025: Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he has revoked at least 300 visas from students in a targeted effort to silence and punish pro-Palestinian viewpoints.
March 26, 2025: DHS has now ambushed and kidnapped grad student and Fulbright Scholar Rumeysa Ozturk outside her apartment in Somerville, MA. Ozturk’s attorney confirms that her client has a valid F-1 student visa (which has apparently been revoked subsequent to her detainment) and that she is “unaware of her (client’s) whereabouts”.
March 19, 2025: Another legal resident, postdoctoral student Badar Khan Suri, has been taken by ICE because of the “suspected” political views of his Palestinian wife. Like Khalil, Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally signed off on the revocation of Suri’s visa without due process. This is a drastic and dangerous overreach of power by the Trump administration, and will surely continue if it goes unchecked by the courts and Congress.
Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and graduate of Columbia University, was a lead negotiator for the Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia last year, mediating between protesters and the university. Last week, two men claiming to be ICE agents ambushed him and his pregnant wife at their university housing, stating that his student visa had been revoked. When Mahmoud told them he had a green card, the agents made a phone call and then told him, “We’re revoking that too.”
Now, Mahmoud is being detained in a private prison in Louisiana with no official charges. A federal judge has temporarily blocked his deportation, and his wrongful detention case will be heard Wednesday.
The U.S. government is attempting to silence a peaceful protester by stripping him of his legal residency and deporting him. This is an attack on the First Amendment that sets a dangerous precedent.
Tell your members of Congress that the government must immediately release Khalil, Suri, and Ozturk, return them to their families, and stop violating the constitutional right to protest.
Contacts for this topic:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].
I’m calling to ask [REP/SEN NAME] to defend our constitutional right to protest, and demand the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil, Badar Khan Suri, Rumeysa Ozturk, and other legal immigrants being punished for political views. It is unconstitutional for these lawful residents to be detained without charges or due process for exercising their First Amendment rights.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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