Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested and threatened with deportation for his involvement in campus protests against Israel, issued his first public statement on Tuesday, accusing both the Trump and Biden administrations of “anti-Palestinian racism”, The Associated Press reports. In a letter dictated from a Louisiana immigration detention center and released by his attorney, Khalil argued that his detention is part of a broader attempt to suppress Palestinian advocacy. “My unjust detention is indicative of the anti-Palestinian racism that both the Biden and Trump administrations have demonstrated over the past 16 months as the US has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention,” Khalil declared, as quoted by AP . “For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand US laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans, and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted,” he added. Khalil and the US government have been locked in a legal battle over the Trump administration’s decision to transfer him halfway across the country to a detention center in Louisiana. The government claims that Khalil could not be detained at an immigration facility closer to where he was initially arrested due to a bedbug infestation, thus justifying his transfer to Louisiana. However, Khalil argues that no such discussion about bedbugs ever took place and expressed his concern that he was being moved for deportation. Last week, a judge ruled that Khalil will remain in detention in Louisiana for at least another week. Khalil’s legal team has requested that a judge release him on bail while the court reviews whether his arrest violated the First Amendment. In his letter released on Tuesday, Khalil drew a parallel between his detention and Israel’s practice of administrative detention, which involves the arrest and detention of an individual without trial based upon suitable proof that the detainee should be arrested in the interests of state or public security. “I see in my circumstances similarities to Israel’s use of administrative detention – imprisonment without trial or charge – to strip Palestinians of their rights,” Khalil charged. “For Palestinians, imprisonment without due process is commonplace.” Following Khalil’s arrest, a Palestinian Arab woman, previously arrested during protests at Columbia, was taken into custody by immigration authorities in Newark, New Jersey, for overstaying an expired visa. The searches and arrests followed the Trump administration’s official announcement that it would revoke $400 million in federal grants due to Columbia’s handling of antisemitism. Columbia has come under increased scrutiny over the rise in antisemitism on campus since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023 and has seen a resurgence of anti-Israel activity in recent weeks. Related articles: Trump Admin. pushes Columbia to double down on mask ban Judge blocks deportation of student involved in Gaza protests Columbia University faculty sue Trump administration Columbia pres. now says mask bans are 'real' In January, anti-Israel students disrupted an Israeli history class by banging drums, chanting “Free Palestine,” and distributing fliers that depicted a boot stomping on a Star of David. The students were later expelled, prompting protests at Barnard College. The demonstrations escalated when protesters took over the Barnard College library, leading to multiple arrests .
