1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

FREE MAHMOUD KHALIL – END THE TARGETING OF STUDENT ACTIVISTS I demand the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil from DHS custody and call on Columbia University to immediately reverse its policy of allowing ICE on campus without a warrant. On March 8, plainclothes DHS agents ambushed and unlawfully detained Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and Palestinian activist, outside his Columbia University-owned apartment. His eight-month pregnant wife, a U.S. citizen, was threatened with arrest simply for standing by his side. DHS agents falsely claimed Khalil’s green card had been revoked, first alleging it was a student visa—despite the fact that he does not hold one. When confronted with evidence of his legal status, an agent, clearly confused, admitted, “He has a green card.” Yet minutes later, agents changed course, falsely asserting the State Department had revoked it too. When Khalil’s attorney attempted to intervene, an agent hung up the phone. This is not an isolated incident. It follows reports that federal agencies—including DHS, the State Department, and the DOJ—are actively targeting pro-Palestinian activists using AI to monitor social media. Khalil’s case represents a chilling escalation of politically motivated repression. For 17 months, Columbia University has singled out Khalil for harassment, from arbitrary suspensions to intimidation tactics. Now, the university’s open-door policy for ICE has enabled his abduction. Students are being stalked and interrogated near campus—creating a dangerous climate for people of color and activists. This is unconstitutional. This is racist. This is political repression. Columbia University must immediately reinstate its 2016 sanctuary campus policy and refuse cooperation with ICE’s unlawful overreach. Congress and the public must demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil. This attack on students exercising their First Amendment rights threatens all of us. ICE must free Mahmoud Khalil now. Columbia must stop facilitating state repression. Anything less is complicity.