Earlier this month, a federal judge granted a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after the Trump administration accused the pro-Palestine demonstrator of being a “Hamas supporter” while presenting zero evidence to substantiate the claim. On Friday, Khalil walked out of an ICE detention center in Louisiana after being released on bail, and he wasted no time in publicly putting the Trump administration on notice that it “chose the wrong one.”
“Hundreds of men who I left behind me shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” Khalil told reporters shortly after his release, according to Newsweek. “The Trump administration are doing their best to dehumanize everyone here, whether you are a U.S. citizen, an immigrant, or just a person on this land doesn’t mean you are less of a human.”
Khalil was asked by a reporter for The Guardian if he had a message for President Donald Trump and his Cabinet, to which he responded: “Trump and his administration, they chose the wrong person for this. That doesn’t mean that there is a right person for this. There’s no right person who should be detained for protesting a genocide, for protesting their university, Columbia University, that is investing in the genocide of the Palestinian people so this is my message.”
As we previously reported, Khalil wasn’t charged with a crime when he was arrested at his home at a Columbia University apartment complex by agents who, according to his legal team, threatened to arrest his wife, Noor Abdalla, who was eight months pregnant at the time. Instead of naming Khalil’s offense without ambiguity, the White House defended its attempt to deport him without due process by claiming he’s a “Hamas supporter” who organized an “unauthorized marching event” and made social media posts in support of Palestine. Even the memo written by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that supposedly outlined the administration’s evidence appeared to note that nothing Khalil did broke any laws.
“For cases in which the basis for this determination is the alien’s past, current, or expected beliefs, statements, or associations that are otherwise lawful, the Secretary of State must personally determine that the alien’s presence or activities would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest,” Rubio wrote.
According to CNN, Rubio was citing an obscure provision from the Immigration and Nationality Act that grants the Secretary of State broad authority to revoke a documented migrant’s immigration status if their ‘activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.’”
At the end of the day, the Trump administration arrested Mahmoud Khalil for engaging in what Trump vaguely declared to be “illegal protests,” which don’t appear to be limited only to protests that turned violent, but extend to generally any cause he disagrees with. (See also Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles to quell anti-ICE protests against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom and virtually every law enforcement authority in L.A.)
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, of course, disagrees, telling Newsweek that Khalil’s release is “yet another example of how out-of-control members of the judicial branch are undermining national security.”
“Their conduct not only denies the result of the 2024 election, it also does great harm to our constitutional system by undermining public confidence in the courts,” the spokesperson continued.
The DHS is claiming New Jersey District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz, who ordered Khalil’s release, is “out of control” because he’s telling the White House — which is observably out of any semblance of competent control — that it can’t just arrest people and deport them without even being able to name an unambiguous crime, a move that would actually do “great harm to our constitutional system by undermining public confidence” in our legal system and our federal government.
Unfortunately, the government’s legal case against Kahlil remains open, meaning he can still face deportation. “For now, Khalil has regained his green card and will be allowed to travel to visit family in New York and Michigan, for court hearings in Louisiana and New Jersey and for lobbying in Washington, D.C.,” Newsweek reported.
SEE ALSO:
Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil Freed From ICE Custody In Louisiana
1st Amendment Concerns: Let’s Talk About Mahmoud Khalil
Mahmoud Khalil Tells Trump Administration It ‘Chose The Wrong One’ After Release On Bail
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