Detained Columbia Graduate Speaks Out on Erosion of Rights Over Pro-Palestinian Protests

Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident and recent graduate of Columbia University, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers following his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

According to a ruling issued by an immigration judge last week, Khalil could be deported on grounds that he poses a threat to US foreign policy — an allegation brought under the Trump administration.

While his deportation is not yet immediate, Khalil is scheduled to appear in court on April 23, with several additional hearings pending in separate courtrooms.

In a letter published Thursday by The Washington Post, Khalil criticized the legal proceedings and the broader implications for civil liberties in the US

“On Friday, I sat in a courtroom as an immigration judge determined that the government could deport me despite my status as a legal permanent resident and despite that the government’s claims against me were baseless — much of their ‘evidence’ lifted directly from sensationalized tabloids,” he wrote.

Khalil accused the Trump administration of weaponizing immigration policy to target political expression.

“I’ve learned about how the (Trump) administration exploits immigration law to enforce its repressive agenda,” he said.

“I think about the breakneck speed with which my case was heard and decided, running roughshod over due process." He also reflected on the experiences of fellow detainees.

“On the flip side, I think about those I am locked up with, many of whom have been languishing for months or years waiting for their ‘due process,’” he added.

Khalil questioned why students exercising free speech rights at Columbia and at campuses nationwide are being punished for protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“Why should protesting Israel’s indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians result in the erosion of my constitutional rights?” he wrote.

He said his activism was motivated by a belief in universal human rights.

“Like the thousands of students that I advocated with at Columbia — including Muslim, Jewish and Christian friends — I believe in the innate equality of all human beings,” he stated.

“I believe in human dignity. I believe in the right of my people to look at the blue sky and not fear an impending missile.”

Khalil argued that fundamental rights in the US are selectively upheld. “Rights are granted to those who align with power,” he said.

“They do not seem to exist for the poor, for people of color, and for those who resist injustice.”

He contended that the right to speak freely in support of Palestinian rights has long been under attack.

“The right to free speech when it comes to Palestine has always been exceptionally weak,” Khalil wrote.

“Even so, the crackdown on universities and students reveals just how afraid the White House is of the idea of Palestine’s freedom entering the mainstream.”

“Why else would Trump officials not only attempt to deport me but also intentionally mislead the public about who I am and what I stand for?” he added.

Facing potential deportation to either Syria or Algeria, Khalil said he hoped his letter would serve as a warning.

“I hope it will inspire your outrage that the most basic human instinct, to protest shameless massacre, is being repressed by obscure laws, racist propaganda and a state terrified of an awakened public,” he wrote.

“I hope this writing will startle you into understanding that a democracy for some — a democracy of convenience — is no democracy at all,” Khalil concluded. “I hope it will shake you into acting before it is too late.”