Palestinian activist and Columbia University alum Mahmoud Khalil was last allowed to see his one-month-old son after more than two months in federal immigration custody. The moment arrived after a federal judge in New Jersey stepped in to prevent the Trump administration from denying Khalil a physical visit with his wife and child.
Legal permanent resident of the United States, Khalil, has been detained in a Louisiana facility since March 8. His detention was the first significant immigration enforcement operation related to the Trump administration’s response to protests opposing the Gaza war. Although he has not been accused of any crime, officials want his deportation because of national interest issues relating to his part in the protests.
Khalil’s son Deen’s April birth sparked urgent legislative requests for contact visits between Khalil and his family. Federal officials, though, rejected the petition, claiming that such a gathering would be a privilege not accessible to other inmates. The Justice Department maintained that only non-contact visiting—via a Plexiglass barrier—would be permitted.
Judge Michael Farbiarz decided differently and let the family gathering occur on Thursday. Khalil’s attorneys said in court documents that the government’s actions were politically motivated given Khalil’s unusual distance of detention and rejection of contact with a mother and baby who presented no security risk. Noor Abdalla, Khalil’s wife, had made almost 1,500 mile trip to get to the hospital.
Abdalla denounced the administration’s position as “deliberate cruelty,” noting similarities in the more general experiences of Palestinian families faced with separation and military incarceration. “This is not only cold,” she remarked. “It is deliberate violence; echoes of it can be heard in the lives of so many Palestinian families deprived of dignity and life.”
Khalil appeared before an immigration judge in Louisiana on the same day as part of his ongoing legal fight to prevent deportation to either Syria—where he grew up in a refugee camp—or Algeria, where he has citizenship through distant family.
Faculty and student testimony from Columbia University was offered in support of Khalil’s argument. Professor Joseph Howley, who had collaborated closely with Khalil on campus demonstrations, called him a principled and well-liked member of the academic community. He particularly noted Khalil’s steadfast rejection of antisemitism, saying, “I have never known Mahmoud to hold any anti-Jewish opinions.”
The court still hasn’t decided Khalil’s appeal. By June 2, written arguments are to be submitted. In the meantime, Claire Shipman, Columbia’s interim president, said Khalil’s absence from the graduation event at the university reflects the emotional impact his detention has had on the student body. Participants reacted both in favor and in opposition to her comments.
Khalil is one of several international students whose cases reflect revived Trump administration policies aiming for deportation. As legal proceedings continue, Khalil stays in detention and his case continues to attract national and international interest; others—Rümeysa Öztürk, Mohsen Mahdawi, and Badar Khan Suri—have since been released.
