Mahmoud Khalil is vowing to press on in his fight for the pro-Palestinian cause after he was released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention over the weekend.
His arrest three months ago “felt like a kidnapping” as officers would not produce a warrant or give him any information, Khalil, a green card holder and the former lead negotiator for Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian encampment, said in his first interview since his release with The New York Times.
In the airport when he returned to New York City on Saturday, he was greeted by supporters whom he told he would not stop fighting, despite the government’s ongoing efforts to deport him.
The Trump administration is using a rarely cited provision of immigration law that says a person can be deported if the secretary of State determines they are a threat to U.S. foreign policy.
“It was very ironic. I literally laughed,” Khalil said. “What did I do that I’m a foreign policy threat to the United States? Did I, like, damage, the U.S.-Israeli relationship? Because it doesn’t appear so.”
While the Trump administration has attempted to crackdown on Palestinian activism, Khalil told The Times it has only become stronger since his arrest.
“He actually advanced the movement 20 years,” he said.
Khalil, who missed the birth of his first child while in detention, has not seen his case dismissed, but a judge ruled he is not a flight risk and could be free with bail until a final ruling is made.
He was the first but not last of several pro-Palestinian college activists arrested by immigration authorities, accused of engaging in antisemitic activities.
“I was not doing anything antisemitic,” he told The Times. “I was literally advocating for the right of my people. I was literally advocating for an end of a genocide. I was advocating that the tuition fees that I and other students pay don’t go toward investing in weapons manufacturers. What’s antisemitic about this?”