Khalil in “fighting spirits” as Protesters Continue to Demand His Release

Farrukh Abadi

Nearly 100 protesters were arrested Thursday (03/12) at Trump Tower in Manhattan after Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) organized a sit-in demanding the release of Palestine solidarity activist Mahmoud Khalil. The sit-in lasted around two hours as protesters chanted “Free Palestine” and “Free Mahmoud”.

Khalil, a recent Columbia University graduate, was illegally detained by ICE last Saturday after they claimed his green card was revoked due to his Palestine solidarity activism. The case has received national and international attention as Trump and other far-right leaders have called for his deportation in what has become a flash point in the US pro-Palestine movement.

The Trump administration’s plans to quell the Palestine solidarity movement through terror backfired, with protests taking place all week across the country. Thousands have marched in the streets demanding Khalil’s immediate release, including outside the Louisiana ICE detention center where he is currently being held. Khalil was transferred to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena, Louisiana, by the government shortly after his abduction to impede legal and mass efforts to secure his release and to keep him separated from his wife, who is eight-months pregnant.

Despite these efforts to demoralize him, his lawyer reported in an interview with Democracy Now! on Thursday, “he is in good spirits, he is in fighting spirits. He appreciates all the support that he’s received, the fact that there were thousands of people, certainly hundreds, I would say over a thousand people, outside the courthouse yesterday massed to protest in solidarity with him and in solidarity with the Palestinian people.” A petition demanding his release so far has over 3 million signatures, while a fundraiser for his legal fees has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars.

On Wednesday, Manhattan federal court Judge Jesse Furman extended his order to block Khalil’s deportation until the legality of his arrest and detention is determined. The judge ordered that Khalil be given two private sessions with his lawyers and that the government answer Khalil’s lawyers’ request for his return to Manhattan. The government must respond by Friday.

Khalil spoke privately with his legal team for the first time on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security issued Khalil a summons to appear before an immigration judge in Louisiana on March 27 for deportation proceedings.

During his interview on Thursday, Khalil’s lawyer reiterated the demand to free Mahmoud: “Any day Mahmoud spends in detention, whether it’s in Louisiana or elsewhere, is a day too long. We want to bring him back to New York. We want to bring him back to his family. And so, we want him back here and freed as soon as possible. And we’re pursuing that through every available avenue, with the support of hundreds of thousands of people.”

Photo: JVP staged a sit-in on Thursday afternoon at Trump Tower. Credit: @GerardDalbon via X.

The Worker calls on all progressives and revolutionaries nationally and internationally to show support for Mahmoud Khalil, signing the petition for his release, donating to his legal campaign, writing letters of solidarity, and organizing for his release.

The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today: