US Denies Detained Palestinian Activist Temporary Release for Son’s Birth, Wife Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The wife of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil says US immigration authorities refused his temporary release to attend the birth of their son, accusing the government of targeting his pro-Palestinian activism.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist held in US immigration detention pending deportation, was not allowed to attend the birth of his child, according to his wife, Noor Abdalla.
Abdalla, a US citizen, said she delivered the couple’s first child alone in New York after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) denied Khalil’s request for temporary release.
“My son and I should not be navigating his first days on earth without Mahmoud,” she said in a statement on Monday.
“ICE and the Trump administration have stolen these precious moments from our family in an attempt to silence Mahmoud’s support for Palestinian freedom,” Abdalla added.
She vowed to continue advocating for her husband’s release.
“I will continue to fight every day for Mahmoud to come home to us,” she said.
“I know when Mahmoud is freed, he will show our son how to be brave, thoughtful, and compassionate, just like his dad.”
ICE did not immediately respond to a request by Al-Jazeera for comment.
Khalil, a permanent US resident and graduate student at Columbia University, was detained on March 8 by immigration authorities amid what critics describe as a wider crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism under the Trump administration.
He had been an active figure in campus demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Trump administration is seeking Khalil’s deportation, alleging his activism undermines US efforts to “combat anti-Semitism” and “protect Jewish students from harassment and violence.”
Khalil has denied the allegations, stating he does not engage in anti-Semitism.
Earlier this month, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that the government had “established by clear and convincing evidence that he is removable,” allowing deportation proceedings to move forward.
Khalil’s legal team has said it plans to appeal the ruling.
