Irina Park
On Monday, Noor Abdalla, Mahmoud Khalil’s wife, gave birth to their son in a New York hospital after the Department of Homeland Security denied a temporary release for Mahmoud to be with his wife and newborn child.
Khalil’s lawyers filed a two-week furlough in hopes he would be able to attend the birth of his son, proposing multiple ways Khalil could be monitored, including wearing an ankle monitor and making scheduled check-ins. In less than an hour, this request was denied. Khalil experienced the birth of his son over telephone in Jena, Louisiana where he has been detained for more than a month for his pro-Palestine activism, despite being a legal permanent resident.
One of Mahmoud Khalil’s lawyers called the refusal punitive and “an utter lack of humanity” and stated that Khalil has never been declared a danger to the community or a flight risk.
Dr. Noor Abdalla stated that the decision by ICE to deny a temporary release to meet their son was a purposeful decision to inflict suffering. The state aims at inflicting maximum punishment and cruelty against Khalil and his family in the hopes of crushing his work in solidarity with Palestine and terrorizing the movement. Instead, Khalil has demonstrated heroism and defiance in the face of state terror, and serves as a source of inspiration to the broader Palestine solidarity movement which continues to fight for his release.
Earlier this month, a Louisiana judge determined that Khalil could be deported following a two-page memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleging that Khalil’s activism and speech threatened US foreign policy interests. The federal judge hearing Khalil’s lawsuit ordered him not to be removed from the US while the case proceeds.
Photo: Protests demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil. Source: Swinxy.
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