Federal agents cornered Mahmoud Khalil and his spouse, Noor Abdalla, in the vestibule of their academic residency. Remembering the encounter, Abdalla narrated, ‘The agent made clear ‘We are with law enforcement, and you must come with us’.’ The instruction to me was to take the apartment keys from Mahmoud and go inside. My refusal to leave my spouse in fear led to the explicit threat of my arrest. From that point onward, Mahmoud was separated from me by the officials.
Abdalla, born and raised in the United States and currently in the later stages of her pregnancy, asserts that no official warrant was ever produced. She recalls that when confronted by their legal representative, the agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement hung the phone up abruptly. Khalil was swiftly handcuffed and escorted to an unmarked car, with his journey ultimately ending at a holding location in Louisiana by way of an intermediate detention center in New Jersey.
In court, the outcome of the proceedings on Wednesday was a decision to keep Khalil in the Louisiana facility. The forces driving this series of actions are clear: the Trump administration is seeking to enforce Khalil’s deportation. They have accused Khalil, who is a holder of a green card, of circulating ‘pro-Hamas rhetoric’ and of playing an active role in protests that ’caused interruptions to university operations and discomfort to Jewish American students’.
Khalil, with his unique mix of Palestinian heritage and Algerian citizenship, was prominently visible in the demonstrations at Columbia University favoring Palestine in the preceding year. He acted as a liaison between activists among the students and the university’s administration. His principled stand is clear: ‘We seek visibility. The university should address the concerns we are raising, regarding the human catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. Investments in this event of mass murder should stop.’
In a revealing conversation with a university representative a day before the arrest, Khalil had shared his apprehensions and sought legal assistance. Attorneys working on his behalf claim that no tangible evidence exists to sustain accusations of Khalil being an operative supporting Hamas. His purported ‘anti-America activities’ are effectively an expression of criticism against Israel in the midst of the terror perpetrated in the backdrop of an attack by Hamas terrorists on the 7th of October, 2023.
The aftermath of this particular day saw a catastrophic number of more than 46,000 Palestinians losing their lives, and approximately 90% of the Gaza population becoming displaced. It is apparent that the Republican stance underscores a fear for discourse deviating from its MAGA doctrine and thus, encourages the stifling of speech. The limitation on the displays of equality is indicative of a disregard for the concept of equality for all.
However, the story goes beyond Khalil’s arrest and protests. It revolves around our commitment to uphold the values of free speech. The New York Civil Liberties Union condemns the unjust imprisonment of Mr. Khalil as reminiscent of McCarthyist times. ‘The blatant selective punishment of Mr. Khalil by the administration for voicing unapproved opinions hints towards a scary amplification of Trump’s crackdown on any speech favoring Palestine and is a gross misuse of immigration statutes.’
An individual need not align with what Khalil advocates. However, it becomes absolutely essential to realize that the detainment of Mr. Khalil by the U.S. administration for merely bringing forth his opinion fiercely contradicts the principles of free speech that the United States holds dear. This incident only further aligns with the government’s trend of muzzling voices of its own citizens.
Khalil’s wife outlined the grim reality of their circumstances in a statement she gave on Tuesday. She shared, ‘US immigration has entirely devastated me.’ The last weeks of pregnancy are normally filled with joy, planning, and anticipation. However, she stated, ‘Instead of assembling our baby’s room and laundered outfits for our newborn, I find myself alone in our apartment, eagerly awaiting a call from Mahmoud from the detention center.’
This is a situation we shouldn’t encounter within a democratic state. Regrettably, it appears to be merely the beginning.