Latest news with #RubioDetermination
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mahmoud Khalil describes pain of missing son's birth in latest court filing
Mahmoud Khalil, the detained Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist, has said in a new court filing that the 'most immediate and visceral harms' he has experienced during his nearly three-month detention have been missing the birth of his son and being separated from his wife. 'Instead of holding my wife's hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone,' Khalil said. 'I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me. When I heard my son's first cries, I buried my face in my arms so no one would see me weep. 'To not be able to see them, hold them, speak with them freely, enjoy everything I imagined our first days as a family would be like, is devastating,' he wrote about the birth in late April. The declaration, filed on Wednesday night and made public on Thursday, is part of new evidence submitted by Khalil's legal team in New Jersey federal court in support of his request for a preliminary injunction requesting his immediate release. Related: Mahmoud Khalil finally allowed to hold one-month-old son for the first time It comes a week after a US district judge said in a lengthy order that the use by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, of a rarely invoked law to detain and attempt to deport Khalil was probably unconstitutional. The judge wrote that the government's justification for deporting Khalil – that his beliefs may pose a threat to US foreign policy – could lead to vague and arbitrary enforcement. The judge, however, stopped short of ordering Khalil's release, and requested additional information before ruling further. On Wednesday night, Khalil's legal team filed a brief and dozens of declarations and expert reports describing the 'irreparable harm' they say that Khalil 'and others will continue to suffer as long as he remains illegally detained in Louisiana and until and unless the Rubio Determination is overturned'. His attorneys argue that Khalil's arrest and detention is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to suppress constitutionally protected speech and are challenging Rubio's determination. In a letter to the court made public on Thursday, Khalil's attorneys write that Khalil is suffering 'irreparable harm from his arrest and detention' including the 'loss of Mr Khalil's liberty; the chilling of his First Amendment protected activities; the separation from his family, particularly his wife and newborn child; and psychological harm specific to his arrest and detention'. They also accuse the government of damaging Khalil's reputation 'by baselessly identifying him as a risk to the foreign policy of the United States, marking him and his family as targets for harassment and notoriety and severely undermining his ability to pursue a career in international diplomacy and human rights advocacy'. In Khalil's declaration, he says that the harms he has suffered as a result of the government's actions include 'dignitary and reputational harm, personal and familial hardship, including constant fear for personal safety, continued detention, restrictions on my freedom of expression, and severe damage to my professional future'. At a news conference on Thursday, Veronica Salama, a staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union who is working on Khalil's case, said that Khalil's declaration was the 'first time' that Khalil 'is speaking directly to the court about the harms that he is facing'. She noted that before his arrest, Khalil had accepted a position at Oxfam International, but that the offer was rescinded on 3 April – a decision she said was a 'direct result' of the government's accusations against him and the public stigma that has followed. Other filings on Wednesday night included letters from attorneys, a declaration from Khalil's wife, Dr Noor Ramez Abdalla, as well as declarations from students and professors at Columbia University, a former state department official, legal service providers and more. Abdalla wrote that the end of her pregnancy and labor 'was extremely stressful because I was separated from Mahmoud due to his ongoing detention. 'Though I had immense support from family and friends in those early days, nothing could replace Mahmoud's presence,' she said. 'Those are days our little family will never get back. Mahmoud will never be part of bringing our first baby home from the hospital, awkwardly carrying the baby carrier, and figuring out how to hold such a tiny baby, and all of the other fun, hard, and challenging parts of adjusting to having a newborn. This reality of all we have missed and will never get back is a weight that constantly sits on me.' Related: To my newborn son: I am absent not out of apathy, but conviction | Mahmoud Khalil The ACLU said on Thursday that Khalil was 'still waiting for a full and final ruling on the preliminary injunction motion, in addition to his pending motions for release on bail and for him to be returned to New Jersey'. The new filings and the news conference on Thursday came a day after Khalil's case was raised during the New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate. The former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, the current frontrunner, called Khalil's detention 'a continuation of Trump eroding democracy, chipping away at due process'. Khalil, Cuomo said, 'should be released, he should be released immediately' adding: 'He shouldn't have been detained in the first place.' The Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is polling in second place, said that Khalil 'should be set free', adding that Khalil 'should be at home with his wife Noor and their young child'.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Administration Won't Release Mahmoud Khalil, Defying Court Order
The Trump administration told a federal judge on Friday that it doesn't intend to release Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and Columbia University graduate who was hauled off to a detention center by the Trump administration after protesting Israel's military campaign in Gaza. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Khalil must be released from a detention center in Jena, Louisiana. But on Friday, lawyers for the Trump administration said they didn't have to do so on the basis of that judge's ruling. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS's 'Face the Nation' in March that the decision to deport Khalil, despite his holding a green card, was for the sake of national security and protecting America's foreign policy interests. Rubio used a rarely invoked statute to pursue the expulsion. But now, the administration says the judge's decision didn't factor in other reasons to detain Khalil, including his alleged inadmissibility to the country as an 'alien' at time of entry. Khalil, who studied international affairs, was never accused of or charged with any crimes. He was detained by immigration agents in New York on March 8 while walking through the lobby of his university-owned apartment building. The push to deport Khalil from the U.S. was based on his involvement as a student negotiator and spokesperson for pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University. The Trump administration has labeled these demonstrations as antisemitic and has accused Khalil of being a radical terrorist. Khalil's lawyers said the administration was attempting to silence him and had violated his free speech rights. In a statement to the court last week, Khalil said the Trump administration had not only separated him from his wife and new child, but also harmed his financial and professional future. Because of his detention, he said, a job offer was rescinded for a policy adviser role at the independent nongovernmental organization, Oxfam International. 'I strongly believe that the Rubio Determination, my arrest and detention — and the public stigma that followed — played a significant role in this decision,' Khalil wrote of the lost job opportunity. 'I was not surprised; roles like this depend on your reputation. How could someone who has been labeled a risk to U.S. foreign policy credibly represent an international organization in diplomatic spaces — let alone serve as an advisor on human rights and regional policy in the Middle East and North Africa? Beyond credibility, how could I effectively perform the essential duties of a position like this — which requires traveling internationally — where visa denial or intense scrutiny would be nearly inevitable?' Khalil was born in Syria to Palestinian parents. He grew up in a refugee camp in Syria. Khalil came to the United States in 2022 to pursue his master's at Columbia. He had previously obtained a degree in computer science from Lebanese American University. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Judge Says Government Must Release Columbia University Protester Mahmoud Khalil Graduates Boo Columbia President At Commencement While Noting Mahmoud Khalil's Absence Agents Didn't Have Warrant To Arrest Activist Mahmoud Khalil, Documents Show
Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Administration Won't Release Mahmoud Khalil
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that Judge Michael Farbiarz did not explicitly order Mahmoud Khalil's release but rather barred them from detaining him based solely on the Rubio Determination, which says that his actions as a pro-Palestinian activist went against U.S. foreign policy. A letter sent by the DOJ's Civil Division to Judge Farbiaz says that the detained Columbia University graduate can still be held on separate grounds, specifically for allegedly omitting information on his immigration documents. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Detained Columbia graduate describes ‘visceral' harm of missing son's birth
Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over his campus activism, said he has suffered 'visceral' harm after missing the birth of his son while in federal custody. 'The most immediate and visceral harms I have experienced directly relate to the birth of my son, Deen. Instead of holding my wife's hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone,' Khalil, a green-card holder, wrote in court documents filed Thursday. 'I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me,' he added. The Trump administration said it plans to revoke Khalil's legal status and urged him to deport himself voluntarily, according to reports from The Associated Press. Khalil was denied permission to go to the birth of his first child last month. Secretary of State Marco Rubio initiated removal efforts for Khalil in March, citing a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act over the government's allegation that he participated in pro-Hamas rhetoric at campus protests amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 'To not be able to see them, hold them, speak with them freely, enjoy everything I imagined our first days as a family would be like, is devastating. Worst still is knowing that they must face all the fear and notoriety of this case without me,' Khalil wrote in this week's court documents. 'The Rubio Determination is casting a shadow of suspicion across our entire family. I could never have imagined this would happen, and it is horrifying to experience this as a husband and father,' he added. Khalil, in the court filings, denied accusations that he supports Hamas but questioned the Israeli government's strikes on 'innocent Palestinians.' Democrats and advocacy organizations have urged officials to immediately release Khalil, alleging that his constitutional right to free speech has been ignored. 'This arrest is unprecedented, illegal, and un-American. The federal government is claiming the authority to deport people with deep ties to the U.S. and revoke their green cards for advocating positions that the government opposes. To be clear: The First Amendment protects everyone in the U.S. The government's actions are obviously intended to intimidate and chill speech on one side of a public debate,' Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said in a statement. The State Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Detained Columbia graduate describes ‘visceral' harm of missing son's birth
Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over his campus activism, said he has suffered 'visceral' harm after missing the birth of his son while in federal custody. 'The most immediate and visceral harms I have experienced directly relate to the birth of my son, Deen. Instead of holding my wife's hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone,' Khalil, a green card holder, wrote in court documents filed Thursday. 'I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me,' he added. The Trump administration said it plans to revoke Khalil's legal status and urged him to self deport, according to reports from the Associated Press. Khalil was denied permission to go to the birth of his first child last month. Secretary of State Marco Rubio initiated removal efforts for Khalil in March citing a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act over the government's allegation that he participated in pro-Hamas rhetoric at campus protests amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 'To not be able to see them, hold them, speak with them freely, enjoy everything I imagined our first days as a family would be like, is devastating. Worst still is knowing that they must face all the fear and notoriety of this case without me,' Khalil wrote in this week's court documents. 'The Rubio Determination is casting a shadow of suspicion across our entire family. I could never have imagined this would happen, and it is horrifying to experience this as a husband and father,' he added. Khalil, in the court filings, denied accusations that he supports Hamas but questioned the Israeli government's strikes on 'innocent Palestinians.' Democrats and advocacy organizations have urged officials to immediately release Khalil, alleging that his constitutional right to free speech has been ignored. 'This arrest is unprecedented, illegal, and un-American. The federal government is claiming the authority to deport people with deep ties to the U.S. and revoke their green cards for advocating positions that the government opposes. To be clear: The First Amendment protects everyone in the U.S. The government's actions are obviously intended to intimidate and chill speech on one side of a public debate,' Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project said in a statement. The State Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.
