Protect Free Speech: Stop Unlawful ICE Detainment of Immigrants

UPDATE (03/19/25): 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to be ICE agents ambushed him and his pregnant wife at their university housing, stating that his student visa had been revoked.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 Mahmoud Khalil, return him to his family, and stop violating the constitutional right to protest.