Mahmoud Khalil accuses Trump administration of ‘dehumanising immigrants’ after release

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was released from a federal detention centre on Friday (Jun 20) after a court order, accused the Trump administration of dehumanising immigrants. The former Columbia University student, a legal permanent resident in the United States, was arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for allegedly leading pro-Palestine protests at the Ivy League campus in New York City in 2024. Khalil claimed that the government was targeting him for his political beliefs. He was the leader of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest and was arrested from his apartment on March 8.

“Whether you are a citizen, an immigrant, anyone on this land, you’re not illegal. That doesn’t make you less of a human,” Khalil said while speaking to reporters at Newark airport, just outside New York City, after his release. “This is what the administration is trying to do: to dehumanise me, to dehumanise the immigrants, to dehumanise anyone who actually does not agree with what the administration is doing.”

Khalil on Saturday (Jun 21) pledged Saturday to keep campaigning for Palestine, saying, “Even if they would kill me, I would still speak for Palestine.” He was freed from a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana after a judge ordered his release on bail.

“Just the fact I am here sends a message – the fact that all these attempts to suppress pro-Palestine voices have failed now,” said Khalil, who is still fighting his potential expulsion from the United States. He spoke alongside his wife Noor Abdalla, who gave birth to their first child while Khalil was in detention, and Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“Mahmoud Khalil was imprisoned for 104 days by this administration, by the Trump administration, with no grounds and for political reasons, because Mahmoud Khalil is an advocate for Palestinian human rights,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “This is not over, and we will have to continue to support this case.”

Khalil, who was born in Syria to Palestinian parents, still faces some restrictions on where he can travel within the country. Under the terms of his release, he is also not allowed to leave the United States unless in a case of “self-deportation”.

The Department of Homeland Security criticised the court’s ruling by District Judge Michael Farbiarz, calling it an example of how “out of control members of the judicial branch are undermining our national security.” Earlier, the Trump administration tried to deport the pro-Palestine activist after his arrest, but a federal judge temporarily blocked the attempt. US President Donald Trump’s administration has justified pushing for his deportation saying that his presence in the country could have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”

Khalil’s legal team fears that he could also face threats out of detention beyond his case.

Beyond his legal case, Khalil's team fears he could face threats out of detention. One of his lawyers, Baher Azmy, told AFP “We are very mindful about his security, and the irony is that he is the one being persecuted.”

“But he is committed to peace and because he is rejecting US government policy he is under threat,” Azmy added, without detailing on what security measures are in place for Khalil and his family.