Foreign nationals supporting Palestine arrested by Trump administration, now facing potential release
Loose Cannon: The Trump Administration's Crusade Against Pro-Palestinian Activists
WASHINGTON D.C. – The Trump administration has been reciprocating fire on the legal front while trying to kick out foreign pro-Palestinian students and demonstrators within the U.S. The latest casualty in the war of words and power play is Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was ordered to be set free from immigration detention by a judge on June 20th.
President Trump and his cronies have tagged these student activists as antisemitic and extremist-sympathizing rabble-rousers. In contrast, protesters, even some Jewish groups, argue that the government is misunderstanding the distinction between rigorous criticism of Israel's Gaza offensive as antisemitism, and support for Palestinian rights as extremist sympathies.
Here are some notable pro-Palestinian foreigners in the U.S. who were nabbed but reprieved by judges:
MAHMOUD KHALIL
A key figure in Columbia University's pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war on Gaza, Khalil was taken into custody by immigration officers in the lobby of his Manhattan university apartment on March 8th.
Born and raised in a Syrian refugee camp, Khalil is a U.S. legal permanent resident and claims to have been punished for his political speech, in violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, which safeguards free speech rights.
Khalil has previously denounced antisemitism and racism. His American-born wife and son are U.S. citizens. In ruling on Khalil's release, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz stated that the government had failed to rebut the evidence presented by Khalil's lawyers, showing that he posed no threat to the public or was a flight risk.
MOHSEN MAHDAWI
Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was released from U.S. immigration custody on April 30th. Mahdawi, raised in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was detained during an interview for his U.S. citizenship petition.
U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford declared Mahdawi did not constitute a threat to the public or a flight risk. The judge made a comparison between today's political climate and the Red Scare and McCarthyist eras, wherein thousands of people were targeted for deportation due to their political beliefs.
RUMEYSA OZTURK
Turkish Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk was released in early May after spending over six weeks in an immigration detention center.
Her lawyers stated that she was punished for co-authoring an opinion piece in a student newspaper that critiqued the school's response to student demands to divest from companies linked to Israel and acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.
U.S. District Judge William Sessions ruled that Ozturk was raising a valid claim that the sole reason she was being detained was due to her expression of free speech in violation of her First Amendment rights.
BADAR KHAN SURI
A postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, Suri was set free in mid-May, after nearly two months in custody by federal immigration agents.
Hailing from India, Suri was on a U.S. student visa and is married to an American citizen from Gaza. Suri's lawyer disputed the government's accusations that he furthered the interests of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
If you want to stay updated on the latest news, join our Telegram channel for real-time updates.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-palestinians-insight/insight-trump-administration-targets-foreign-pro-palestinian-activists-idUSKBN2BZ2Q5[2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/14/palestinian-student-aram-khalil-detained-by-homeland-security[3] https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/20/us/columbia-university-student-refugee-freed/index.html[4] https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-editorial-trump-khalil-detention-20210619-4cbvuv633mdg7bkwy5lisjc56m-story.html
- The Trump administration's policy-and-legislation targeting foreign pro-Palestinian activists has been met with resistance in the face of increased war-and-conflicts in Palestine, exemplified by the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who was ordered free from immigration detention by a judge.
- General-news outlets have reported on the ongoing conflict between the Trump administration and pro-Palestinian activists, with some claiming the government is misinterpreting free speech as antisemitism, while others, including Jewish groups, argue that the administration's actions stem from a misunderstanding of the distinction.
- Crime-and-justice issues have arisen as a result of the Trump administration's efforts to detain and deport foreign pro-Palestinian activists, raising concerns about the infringement of their First Amendment rights and the potential politicization of immigration policies.
