Mahmoud Khalil's Lawyers Press for Release of Columbia Univ. Activist Jailed in Free Speech Case
We get an update on the Trump administration's attempt to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, whose case has alarmed immigrant advocates and civil rights groups. Khalil, a legal permanent resident who is married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in New York on Saturday and told his green card was being revoked because of his role in Columbia University student protests last year opposed to Israel's war on Gaza. He has since been moved to an ICE jail in Louisiana with little access to legal counsel or to his family, including his pregnant wife. On Tuesday, a federal judge extended an order blocking Khalil's deportation while he considers whether the arrest was unconstitutional.
"It's been very clear from the beginning that the government's strategy is to cut Khalil off not just from access to the court here in New York, not just from access to his legal team, but from access to his support base," says Ramzi Kassem, part of Khalil's legal team.
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