Disappearing Palestinian activists like Mahmoud Khalil
Mahmoud Khalil’s wrongful abduction & detention by ICE reveals growing threats to free speech and protest rights in the U.S.
Mahmoud Khalil
Mahmoud Khalil is Palestinian. He finished his graduate studies at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in December 2024. Prior to Columbia, he received a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the Lebanese American University.
He previously worked for the Syria Office in the British Embassy in Beirut as well as the Syrian American educational nonprofit Jusoor. Mahmoud is focused heavily on education and helping youth who aren’t able to access schooling in countries around the world.
Most notably, Mahmoud gained a bit of notoriety in 2024 for assisting with the demonstrations on campus against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. He served as a lead negotiator and go-between for the protestors and the university administration over tent encampments in April.
In fact, he was suspended from Columbia in April for taking part in the demonstrations. The suspension was reversed the next day, though, due to public outcry and a lack of evidence of any actual wrongdoing.
Mahmoud and his wife, who is 8 months pregnant, are still living in university housing at the moment.
Mahmoud’s Abduction
When Mahmoud and his wife arrived at their apartment complex around 8:30 pm Eastern Saturday night, two men in plain clothes came in behind them, claiming to be ICE agents.
They claimed that they had a warrant for Mahmoud's arrest on their phone, and that his student visa was being revoked.
Mahmoud told them he had a green card, and his wife went up to their apartment to get it. When she returned, the agents made a phone call. Mahmoud and his wife were then told the agents were "revoking that too."
Mahmoud’s lawyer Amy Greer was phoned during this interaction, also trying to explain to the agents that this made no sense and was not lawful.
There was no reason stated as to why Mahmoud was being detained and abducted. Later, when Mahmoud’s lawyer got in contact with ICE, they also refused to give her information. All they said was that his student visa was being revoked. Again, it was pointed out that Mahmoud has a green card. ICE responded that this was being revoked, too.
It must be noted that the Trump administration does NOT have the legal authority to revoke his green card. He has done nothing wrong.
ICE on campus
A new Executive Order from Trump removed Biden Administration protections against ICE raids and activity on campuses, K-12 schools, hospitals, churches, and more. Communities around the country are terrified of this, and it’s led to tons of children dropping out of schools for their safety.
Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, AN ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD CHILD in Gainesville, Texas, recently died by suicide after being bullied and told by these bullies that ICE was coming for her. Despite the school’s knowledge, Jocelynn’s family wasn’t notified of the ongoing bullying she was facing until after her death.
It’s important to note that, on college campuses, this only applies to public spaces. Per Inside Higher Education,
“ICE officers can enter public areas and ask questions, but students and staff don’t have to answer—a point they might not remember when approached by someone in uniform.”
Columbia University has said that ICE must present a warrant to enter areas of campus not open to the public, such as housing. As of right now, they have not said whether ICE contacted them prior to entering Mahmoud’s apartment complex.
Free speech & right to protest
This week, Trump announced his intentions to jail, imprison, or deport students involved in protests. Then, reporting revealed that his State Department was planning to use artificial intelligence to monitor online activity, and revoke visas for whomever they deem to be “pro-Hamas.”
It’s also worth noting that Trump has even threatened to deport US citizens over ‘pro-Palestinian’ content and actions, though there was major pushback about this and nothing has been signed to make it official (that I know of currently - please correct me if you’ve seen something different).
He’s also made it clear he will crack down more on protests & protestors than administrations in the past.
Regardless of how you feel about Palestine, Israel, Trump, Luigi Mangione, or anyone/anything else, this entire situation should scare you.
At what point do we no longer have the right to free speech or to protest?
When many people of Jewish faith and background are actively taking part in and organizing protests around what’s happening in Palestine (and elsewhere in the world), will they too be punished in the name of ‘stopping’ antisemitism? Is it not hypocritical to arrest & harm Jewish individuals protesting something they find inherently goes against their religion and culture?
And, when will the government stop - or be stopped? After all, they have openly been keeping lists of who says or shares support comments about Luigi Mangione, Palestinians, and other groups on social media. They also have already begun to crack down on anti-Musk protests at Tesla dealerships.
Side note: One of the organizers of Tesla-focused protests is Alex Winter, or Bill from the Bill & Ted films.
If one of the dudes who is famous for telling folks to be excellent to each other is helping organize stand-ins and actions to protest your company That's probably a good sign that you are, in fact, not being excellent to others
— Grayson (he/him) (@graysongoal.bsky.social) 2025-03-09T13:19:09.349Z
March 11 update:
President Trump has insinuated that Tesla boycotts are illegal. So there’s that.
Where is Mahmoud?
As of Sunday, Mahmoud’s family and lawyer were led to believe he was being held at a facility in New Jersey. When his wife went to visit, though, she was told he was not there.
Sunday, lawyer Amy Greer issued the following statement:
The Department of Homeland Security also issued a statement Sunday, getting the date wrong as they did:
And Marco Rubio stated:
“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
Conflating wanting multiple governments to stop killing your people with being a terrorist is an interesting choice, and definitely not one that has ever come back to bite the US or Trump in the ass.
Today (Monday), his ICE tracking number has updated to show he is in the Jena/LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena, Louisiana.
This facility is run by GEO Group, a private prison corporation that is known for human rights abuses and denying inspectors entry. They also have refused to pay detainees minimum wage, which courts state they must do (as of January 2025) as they’re a private company and not the government.
Here’s a handy violation tracker for the Florida-run company. They’ve been fined $4,550,000 for ONE instance of bribery and kickbacks. That doesn’t even include the multiple labor, environment, and safety violations they have been charged with.
I will also note that pregnant folks around the 8 month mark are generally told not to travel. This sometimes includes airlines asking for a medical certificate that it’s safe for you to fly past 36 weeks. That means that Mahmoud’s wife is likely going to be unable to try to visit him in Louisiana, and I can’t help but feel that this was a calculated choice designed to cause extra harm.
March 11 update
Monday the 10th saw a huge outpouring of support for Mahmoud, including protests at Columbia University and across the US.
NYC Councilwoman Alexa Avilés: “They are coming for all of us and it is us who will protect each other…they will not come for our trans siblings; we’ve got your back. They will not come for Palestinians; we’ve got your back.”
— Marisa Kabas (@marisakabas.bsky.social) 2025-03-10T20:54:39.663Z
By mid-day, Trump was taking credit for the abduction on his ridiculous social media site:
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) shared her thoughts on the matter, calling it unconstitutional, un-American, and tyrannical.
“If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too. Anyone—left, right, or center—who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now.”
By Monday evening, Judge Jesse Furman of the Southern District of New York had issued an order on Monday to block the US government from deporting Mahmoud. Everyone involved is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday the 12th.
It’s also come to light that, in the days prior to his abduction, Mahmoud reached out to Columbia University administrators to seek help with safety concerns:
“I haven’t been able to sleep, fearing that ICE or a dangerous individual might come to my home. I urgently need legal support, and I urge you to intervene and provide the necessary protections to prevent further harm.”
Most notably, individuals like Shai Davidai — who was banned from Columbia’s campus after rampant harassment, stalking, and additional harm — alongside others engaging in Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian work, took steps to doxx and harm Mahmoud.
Forward, an independent Jewish news site, reports that not only had multiple individuals misrepresented and discussed Mahmoud with legislators (like Ted Cruz and John Fetterman), but that members of Colombia's board had also reported Khalil to federal officials.
It isn’t rocket science to consider that the steps board members took may have been to try to recoup the university’s $400 million in government grants & contracts canceled by President Trump on March 7.
Zeteo is reporting that:
“Marco Rubio personally signed off on the arrest of Palestinian Columbia University student protest negotiator Mahmoud Khalil, using a narrow, little-used authority given to the secretary of state, per two sources within the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.”
Digging deeper, The Free Press has stated that
“A White House official says that Mahmoud Khalil posed a ‘threat to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States.’ And that his case is a blueprint for more arrests.”
This is terrifying, especially given the ways in which this administration is actively acting like queer & trans folks, well-known activists, and anyone from a marginalized community is a threat to the country.
Forward also shared that
“A labor union at Columbia said Monday that a second student was also visited by ICE agents on Saturday, but that their attempts to arrest her were unsuccessful.”
I expect we will see more of these kinds of movements in the coming weeks, especially if the court appearance on Wednesday in Mahmoud’s case heads in the wrong direction.
What you can do
First off, a petition is going around to get Mahmoud released. I don’t know how effective this will be, but it’s gotten over 1.2 million signatures. You can sign it here.
Call your elected officials, especially if you live in New York. Here’s a helpful conversation starter, from Greg Pak:
Even if you don’t live in New York, reaching out to your elected officials is important. First, they need to know about this situation (if they don’t already). Second, they need to know that Mahmoud is just the first person they’re trying this on — this will not stop with him unless there is a huge and concerted effort to push back against these illegal and unconstitutional moves.
Learn more about the criminalization of migrants and how you can help
I will also add that we all need to be a little more mindful of communicating information, what we’re sharing publicly or on social media, etc. Consider using more secure methods of communication, especially if you’re involved in activism or are part of one or more communities this administration is targeting.
If you need resources here, please let me know.
Another case to keep your eyes on
Becky Burke, a tourist from the UK, was backpacking here in the US. In late February, she attempted to head into Canada for the next leg of her trip, but Canada didn’t let her in.
When she turned back to the US, she was refused re-entry, classified as an "illegal alien,” and taken to a detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, per a post from her father on Facebook.
You can read more about her story here. I’m highlighting because it’s important to understand how harmful legislation and crackdowns on immigration harm a wide variety of people.
If you didn’t feel much sympathy for Mahmoud, but do for Becky… it may be worth considering why that is. If you want to talk about it, let me know.
Further reading
Want to read more and stay up to date about Mahmoud’s case? Here is coverage from a variety of news sources:
You’re the only version of you that exists. Please take care of yourself.
Love you, mean it.
Grayson