Mahmoud Khalil — the Palestinian Columbia University president whose detainment by ICE set off a firestorm of controversy and protests — spoke out in an open letter from his cell at a Louisiana facility and called himself a “political prisoner.”
The ACLU New York chapter released the letter Khalil dictated over the phone on Tuesday evening. In it, he described the conditions of the detention facility and said he spent “long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices underway against a great many people” who are “precluded from the protections of the law.”
Khalil, who has a valid green card and permanent residency status while living in a university apartment with his 8-month-pregnant wife, was taken into ICE custody on March 8 for his involvement in the university’s infamous student protests last year that saw two NYPD raids hit Columbia. Following his detainment, the Trump Administration has promised it was the first in a line of immigrants set to be similarly taken into custody.
Last week, thousands marched in the city streets to protest Khalil’s imprisonment, claiming his arrest was more about suppressing free speech than punishment for offenses committed during the Columbia protests last spring.
In his March 18 letter, Khalil expressed the horror and confusion he felt while ICE agents took him into custody, and the fear he felt that his wife would also be placed in cuffs.
“Before I knew what was happening, agents handcuffed and forced me into an unmarked car. At that moment, my only concern was for Noor’s safety. I had no idea if she would be taken too since the agents had threatened to arrest her for not leaving my side,” Khalil wrote. “DHS (Department of Homeland Security) would not tell me anything for hours — I did not know the cause of my arrest or if I was facing immediate deportation. At 26 Federal Plaza, I slept on the cold floor.”
Khalil went on to add that he believes his detainment stemmed from exercising free speech. He also believes the Trump administration will continue to target green card holders and even citizens.
“The Trump administration is targeting me as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent. Visa holders, green-card carriers, and citizens alike will all be targeted for their political beliefs,” he said. “In the weeks ahead, students, advocates, and elected officials must unite to defend the right to protest for Palestine. At stake are not just our voices but the fundamental civil liberties of all.”
This comes one day after Khalil’s legal team filed a preliminary injunction motion with the federal court in the Southern District of New York asking for his immediate release. Meanwhile, as a Federal judge mulls over arguments regarding an ongoing jurisdiction battle regarding exactly where Khalil’s immigration hearing should take place, the government said he had to be moved from New Jersey Louisiana due to a bedbug infestation. Khalil himself said he had no knowledge of such an infestation.
