Free Speech and Human Rights...Things Of The Past? "Hostage Mahmoud Khalil"

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

By:  BY  JAKE OFFENHARTZ

NEW YORK (AP) — A government lawyer asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday to move the legal fight

over the detention of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil to New Jersey or Louisiana, two locations where he has been held as the Trump administration seeks to deport him over his participation in pro-Palestinian protests at the school.

Immigration enforcement agents arrested Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident who is married to an American citizen, in New York on Saturday. After initially being held in New Jersey, he was moved to an immigration detention center in Louisiana.

After Khalil’s arrest, Judge Jesse M. Furman ordered that the 30-year-old not be deported while the court considers a legal challenge brought by his lawyers, who are seeking to have Khalil returned to New York and released under supervision. They argue that he engaged in protected free speech and that the government is illegally retaliating against him over it.

During a brief hearing Wednesday, attorney Brandon Waterman argued on behalf of the Justice Department that the venue for the deportation fight be moved from New York City to Louisiana or New Jersey.

Furman, calling the legal issues “important and weighty,” asked the two sides to submit a joint letter on Friday describing when they propose to submit written arguments over the legal issues raised by Khalil’s detention.

Ramzi Kassem, representing Khalil’s interests, said the student’s lawyers have been unable to have even a single attorney-client-privileged conversation with Khalil since he was taken into custody.

Kassem told Furman that Khalil was “identified, targeted and detained” because of his advocacy for Palestinian rights and his protected speech. He said Khalil has no criminal convictions, but, “for some reason, is being detained.”

Furman ordered that Khalil be able to have at least one attorney-client phone call with his lawyers on Wednesday and at least one phone conference with his attorneys on Thursday.

Full article:  https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-protests-mahmoud-kha...

He got a great legal team.

On the docket: Amy Greer, Baher Azmy, Diala Shamas, Ramzi Kassem, Kyle Barron (at legal aid), Samah Sisay, Shezza Dallal

https://chuffed.org/project/justice-for-mahmoud-khalil

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) have arrested a Palestinian graduate student

who played a prominent role in last year’s pro-Palestinian protests at New York’s Columbia University, the student workers’ union said on Sunday.

The student, Mahmoud Khalil at the university’s School of International and Public Affairs, was arrested at his university residence on Saturday, the Student Workers of Columbia union said in a statement.

Khalil’s wife is a US citizen and he has a permanent residency green card, the union said. He remained in detention on Sunday. Khalil’s wife declined to comment through one of Khalil’s fellow students.

Khalil’s lawyer, Amy Greer, told the Associated Press news agency that she spoke by phone with one of the ICE agents during the arrest, who said they were acting on State Department orders to revoke Khalil’s student visa. Informed by the lawyer that Khalil was in the country as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that too, according to the lawyer.

Full article:  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/9/mahmoud-khalil-student-lead...

Maryam Alwan, Mahmoud Khalil and Layla Saliba speak to members of the media at Columbia University on June 1, 2024 [Jeenah Moon/Reuters]

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

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[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

Discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Arabs in the United States hit a new record in 2024 amid the Israel-Gaza war, an advocacy group has reported.

A report released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Tuesday said that the 8,658 complaints regarding anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents last year – representing a 7.4 percent rise year on year – was the highest number since the group began compiling data in 1996.

Complaints regarding employment discrimination were the most common at 15.4 percent of the total. Complaints regarding immigration and asylum constituted 14.8 percent, education 9.8 percent and hate crimes 7.5 percent.

Rights advocates have highlighted an increase in Islamophobia, anti-Arab bias and anti-Semitism since the Hamas attack in October 2023 saw Israel launch a devastating onslaught on Gaza.

“For the second year in a row, the US-backed Gaza genocide drove a wave of Islamophobia in the United States,” CAIR said.

Israel denies genocide and war crimes accusations.

Full article:  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/11/anti-muslim-hate-hits-new-...

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

Only 14 Democratic representatives signed a letter calling for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestine activist and green card holder disappeared by the Trump administration for his organizing at Columbia University.

“We are horrified by the recent illegal abduction and now indefinite detention of Mahmoud Khalil—a U.S. legal permanent resident—by Department of Homeland Security agents, and we unequivocally demand his immediate release from DHS custody,” the letter reads, addressed to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

Full article:  https://newrepublic.com/post/192606/14-democrats-mahmoud-khalil-let...

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

 THIS POLICY IS THE GIANT STEP TOWARDS REPRESSION AND THE REVOCATION OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH ... MAHMOUD KHALIL HELD A GREEN CARD AND WAS PROTECTED BY THE CONSTITUTION,.. FREEDOM OF SPEECH ... AS A PRO PALESTINIAN PEACEFUL PROTESTOR HE DISAGREED WITH AMERIKKKA'S FOREIGN POLICY IN GAZA ‼️ THIS IS THE MOVE TO SILENCE OPINION AND SUPPRESS OUR VOICES NOT IN LINE WITH THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION ...WHO IS NEXT ❓❓❓❓

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

He got a great legal team.

On the docket: Amy Greer, Baher Azmy, Diala Shamas, Ramzi Kassem, Kyle Barron (at legal aid), Samah Sisay, Shezza Dallal

Dear Friends, Allies, and Supporters,

We are raising urgent funds to support Mahmoud Khalil and his family, a dedicated advocate for Palestinian rights and a recent graduate of Columbia University’s MPA in Development Practice program. On March 8, Mahmoud and his wife were returning home from a Ramadan dinner with friends when they were accosted by agents who identified themselves as Homeland Security (DHS) at the door to their building.

Mahmoud was arrested without being shown a printed warrant, and his wife was harassed and intimidated by the plainclothes officers. Mahmoud was denied any explanation of the charges against him. Despite being a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) of the United States, he was arrested, and his lawyers were unable to contact or locate him for the first 36 hours. 

Why Mahmoud Needs Your Help

Mahmoud’s arrest is part of a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian students and activists, particularly at Columbia University. Before his detention, he was targeted by a coordinated smear campaign, with individuals falsely framing his activism as criminal behavior. Now, he is facing potential deportation and inhumane treatment in detention, far from his pregnant wife and their home.

Adding to this crisis, Mahmoud has been transferred to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana, far from his legal representation and support network. This move severely limits his ability to fight his case.

Donate Today To Support Our Brother

https://chuffed.org/project/justice-for-mahmoud-khalil

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]

The wife of detained pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil released a statement calling for her husband’s immediate release, saying he was “kidnapped” by #US immigration authorities.⁠

Support "Hostage Mahmoud Khalil"...

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHG8wY6KKZX/?igsh=MWl1NjhxYXIxeTR2bw==

[Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص]