In recent developments, a Columbia University student, Mahmoud Khalil, who was apprehended and faces deportation for his involvement in campus protests against Israel, has issued his first public statement, expressing that his detention is an example of “anti-Palestinian racism” demonstrated by both former President Trump’s and President Biden’s administrations.
In a communiqué dictated from an immigration facility in Louisiana and disseminated by his legal representative, Khalil contends that he is being singled out as part of a broader initiative to silence Palestinian voices.
“My unjust detention exemplifies the anti-Palestinian racism shown by both the Biden and Trump administrations over the past 16 months, as the U.S. continues to supply Israel with arms for use against Palestinians while obstructing international intervention,” Khalil asserted.
He further noted that for decades, anti-Palestinian racism has fueled the expansion of U.S. laws and practices used to suppress Palestinians, Arab Americans, and similar communities, and indicated that this was the reason behind his targeting.
A legal confrontation between Khalil and the federal government ensued following the Trump administration’s decision to relocate him to a facility in Louisiana, far from where he was initially detained.
The government defended the move by citing a bedbug infestation at the original detention center. Khalil disputes this explanation, claiming he was never informed about any infestations and feared imminent deportation.
While testifying in Manhattan federal court, Khalil stated that during his overnight stay at a detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, no one mentioned bedbugs.
Amid court proceedings, Justice Department lawyers attributed Khalil’s relocation to overcrowding in Northeastern facilities.
Khalil’s reference to bedbugs surfaced in court documents submitted by his lawyers, who are petitioning for his release on bail as his arrest’s compliance with the First Amendment is evaluated.
Furthermore, Khalil’s legal team is seeking a broad judicial mandate to prevent the U.S. government from “arresting, detaining, and deporting noncitizens engaged in constitutionally protected political activities supporting Palestinian rights or critical views of Israel.”
Court records describe Khalil’s transport from the Elizabeth facility in a van, where initially he thought he was headed back to FBI headquarters in Manhattan, only to learn they were going to JFK Airport.
Alarmed by the situation, Khalil believed deportation was imminent. “I feared they were trying to deport me,” he reflected.
His account of the Elizabeth facility describes scant accommodations, noting, “I stayed in a waiting room with about ten others. We had to sleep on the floor. Although the room was cold, there were no beds, mattresses, or blankets provided.”
The letter from Khalil highlights similar practices in Israel, equating his experience to Israel’s administrative detention — “imprisonment without trial or charge — to strip Palestinians of their rights.”
Citing Palestinians commonly facing imprisonment without due process, Khalil draws parallels to his own situation.
In court documents filed over the weekend, Justice Department attorneys outlined Khalil’s arrest on March 8 and his subsequent journey from Manhattan to Elizabeth, followed by his transfer to Kennedy International Airport before being flown to Louisiana.
“Khalil couldn’t be accommodated at the Elizabeth Detention Facility long-term due to bedbug concerns, thus remained there until his flight to Louisiana,” legal representatives indicated. He was detained at the facility from the early morning of March 9 until shortly before noon.
His attorneys have requested that legal proceedings be heard in New Jersey or Louisiana, contrary to the government’s preference for New York. The petition awaits a decision from a Manhattan federal judge.
Opposing the case’s transfer, Khalil’s lawyers suggested it was “premeditated and enacted for improper motives,” rather than legitimate concerns about bedbugs.
Despite bedbug allegations, the Elizabeth facility reportedly accepted at least four detainees from March 6 through to last Thursday. Khalil himself witnessed others being processed at the center.
Referencing recent conflict events, Khalil discussed the impact of Israeli strikes across Gaza and stressed the “moral imperative” to continue advocating for Palestinian freedom.
“With January’s ceasefire shattered, Gaza parents now mourn small shrouds, while families face the harsh choice between starvation and displacement against the backdrop of bombings,” he stated. “Our moral duty is to persist in the struggle for their total liberation.”