Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil: Trump Administration Tried to Silence Me but Gave Me a Bigger Platform

SadaNews - It was only a few days into U.S. President Donald Trump’s battle with elite universities when federal immigration officials detained Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil at his residence at Columbia University in New York, in March.

Khalil was held for more than three months in an immigration detention facility in rural Louisiana, as the Trump administration escalated its fight, detaining other foreign students supporting Palestinians and canceling billions in research grants designated for Columbia University, Harvard, and other institutions that witnessed student protests in support of Palestinians, in which Khalil was a prominent activist.

Khalil (30) said: "I have no regrets at all about standing against genocide," according to a report from Reuters.

This was stated during an interview conducted in his apartment in Manhattan, less than two weeks after a court order was issued for his release on bail, pending the conclusion of proceedings to revoke his legal permanent residency in the U.S., aiming for his deportation.

He added: "I do not regret defending the truth, which is opposing war and calling for an end to violence."

He believes the government is trying to silence him, but instead has given him a broader platform.

Upon his return to New York after his release, he was welcomed at the airport by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a political adversary of Trump. His supporters waved Palestinian flags, as he reunited with his wife and infant son, who was not present at his birth due to his detention.

Two days later, he was a star at a massive rally on the steps of a cathedral near the Columbia University campus in Manhattan, where he criticized university officials.

Last week, he appeared before jubilant crowds alongside Zahan Mamdani, the pro-Palestinian state representative who won the Democratic primary in June, ahead of New York City’s 2025 mayoral election.

Khalil said: "I did not choose to be in this position; the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency did... This certainly has had a significant impact on my life. I am still honestly trying to reflect on my new reality."

He was unable to attend his graduation ceremony in May and left detention unemployed. He stated that an international charitable organization withdrew its offer for him to work as a political advisor.

The government may win its appeal and detain him again, so Khalil said that his priority is to spend as much time as possible with his son and his wife, a dentist.

Khalil was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, while his wife, Noor Abdullah, is a U.S. citizen. Khalil obtained permanent residency in the United States last year.

He moved to New York in 2022 as a graduate student and became one of the key student negotiators between Columbia University administration and the protesters who sat in the campus park, demanding the university end its investments in arms manufacturing companies and others that support the Israeli army.

Khalil is not charged with any crime, but the U.S. government has relied on a loose immigration law to argue for his deportation along with several other international students supporting Palestinians, claiming that their "legal yet controversial" speech could harm U.S. foreign policy interests.

The federal judge hearing the case ruled that the Trump administration's main rationale for Khalil's deportation is likely an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights. The government is appealing the ruling.

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, wrote in response to inquiries: "This is not about free speech; it is about individuals who do not have the right to be in the United States for supporting the terrorists of Hamas and organizing mass protests that made universities unsafe and harassed Jewish students."

Objection to Columbia University Policy

Khalil condemned, in the interview, the pretext of anti-Semitism, describing Jewish students as "an integral part" of the protest movement. He stated that the government is using "anti-Semitism" as a pretext to reshape American higher education that Trump claimed is dominated by anti-American ideologies and Marxism, and "radical leftism."

The Trump administration informed Columbia University and others that federal grant funds, mostly for biomedical research, would not be resumed unless the government had greater oversight over who is admitted and employed, and what is taught, calling for "greater ideological diversity."

Unlike Harvard, Columbia University did not challenge the government’s sudden cancellation of the grants and agreed to some of the Trump administration’s demands to tighten rules regarding protests as a prerequisite for negotiations over resuming funding.

Khalil described Columbia’s steps as devastating. He said: "Columbia essentially delivered the institution to the Trump administration and allowed it to interfere in every detail regarding how higher education institutions are managed."

Columbia's administration stated that maintaining academic independence is a "red line" as negotiations continue.

Virginia Lam Abrams, a spokesperson for Columbia, said that university officials "strongly oppose" Khalil’s characterization.

She added, in a statement: "Columbia University recognizes the right of students, including Mr. Khalil, to speak out on issues they feel strongly about... but it is also important for the university to adhere to its rules and policies to ensure that everyone in the university can participate in a community free from discrimination and harassment."

Khalil urged Columbia and other universities targeted by Trump to take care of their students.

He said: "Students have presented a clear plan for how this campus can adhere to human rights and international law, and include all students, where everyone feels equal, regardless of their positions on issues... They prefer to capitulate to political pressure rather than listen to the students."