New York, NY—Last night, a student activist at Columbia University was reportedly arrested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He is now being detained at the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey. Mahmoud Khalil has a green card, and his wife (a U.S. citizen) is eight months pregnant. Khalil was reportedly detained inside of the building where he lives after immigration agents entered the building.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“In the United States, the First Amendment guarantees everyone freedom of speech. Targeting a student activist is an affront to the rights of Mahmoud Khalil and his family. This blatantly unconstitutional act sends a deplorable message that freedom of speech is no longer protected in America. Furthermore, Khalil and all people living in the United States are afforded due process. A green card can only be revoked by an immigration judge, showing once again that the Trump administration is willing to ignore the law in order to instill fear and further its racist agenda. America is supposed to be a country of laws, but this act by the DHS challenges that very concept. DHS must immediately release Khalil, and our local elected officials must intervene in this unlawful and politically motivated detention of a New Yorker. We urge all New Yorkers to learn their rights to help prevent unlawful entries by immigration agents.”