On a rainy day in New York City, hundreds of protesters rallied for the release of detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil during his immigration hearing on Thursday afternoon.
Khalil, a legal permanent resident and Columbia University graduate who has been held in a Louisiana jail since March 8, was the first person arrested under President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters. He is one of the few remaining in custody as his case moves through both immigration and federal court.
“With our movement and in the process, they have gone and proven what everyone who has ever fought for liberation in this country has known for centuries, which is that the United States is not a democracy,” said Ju-Hyun Park of Nodutdol for Korean Community Development. “This country is an empire run by a ruling class dictatorship that will crack our skulls, disappear parents from their homes, and commit genocide to preserve their privileges and power.”
The demonstration, which also brought together members of the New York City Chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Palestinian Feminist Collective at Foley Square, included city residents.
“I think in the face of so much cracking down and arresting and deportations, it’s more important now to continue to show up because a lot of people are more scared,” said Ari, a city resident who participated in the protest.
While the protest continued in Foley Square, other demonstrators traveled to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana, to show solidarity with Khalil during the immigration hearing.
Despite calls for Khalil’s release, an immigration judge in Louisiana on Thursday denied a request to terminate his deportation proceedings after his attorneys argued that he was arrested illegally and without a warrant more than two months ago.
“We just walked out of the courtroom and it was so heartwarming to hear you guys’ voices and all the support. I know you guys traveled from so far and people came from across different states,” said Noor Abdalla, Mahmoud’s wife, in a video posted on social media after the hearing in Louisiana. “You guys are incredible and the support means a lot to me and Mahmoud.”
Even though the White House has backed off from cancelling hundreds of student visas, Khalil’s case continues. The session ended on Thursday evening without a ruling from the judge after the presentation of testimonies and Khalil took the stand in his own defense.
Judge Jamee Comans asked lawyers to submit written closing arguments by June 2 to decide whether Khalil should be deported or allowed to remain in the country.