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#mahmoud

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He stood up against genocide. 

And for this, he was ambushed at his home,
abducted,
and arrested.

Arrested without cause.
Arrested without a warrant.
By plainclothes officers who refused to give their names.

Just handcuffed and shoved into the back of a car,
while his wife — eight months pregnant — watches and tries to understand what’s happening.

This is not a scene from some dark chapter of a distant past filled with black-and-white photos of bygone dictatorships. 

This happened here,
in the United States of America,
in March of this year.

It’s happening here right now. 

#Mahmoud #Khalil was a graduate student at Columbia University last year when he led protests against Israel’s US-backed Occupation of historic Palestine
and genocidal slaughter of Palestinians. 

But now, speaking out carries a high price.

And free speech is no longer so free.

Mahmoud Khalil is a U.S. resident,
born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria.

But Trump officials say they’ve striped him of his Green Card,
and they’re holding him in an ICE jail in Louisiana…
far from his home in New York.

Far from his wife.

Unable to communicate with his lawyers or the outside world for days after his illegal abduction.

But Mahmoud Khalil is, still, not silent.

And he is not alone. 

As he stood up for the Palestinians facing Israeli bombs and the barrels of their guns,
others are standing up for Khalil.

People have rallied for his freedom.

Hundreds. Thousands.
From New York City to Boston.
Phoenix to Miami.
North Carolina to Oklahoma City.

Jewish peace activists protested inside Trump Tower.

The people will not be silent as the powerful try to silence the people’s freedom to speak.

To be willingly silent now will mean more unwilling silence later. 
therealnews.com/trump-targeted

The Real News Network · Trump targeted Mahmoud Khalil to inspire fear—the opposite may be happeningBy Michael Fox

Judge denies Trump administration’s attempt to dismiss Mahmoud Khalil’s challenge to his deportation

A federal judge has turned down a request from the Trump administration to dismiss Palestinian activist #Mahmoud #Khalil’s challenge to his deportation,
and ruled his case should be heard in New Jersey rather than Louisiana, where he is now detained.
In his decision, judge Jesse Furman said that since Khalil’s attorney filed the challenge to his arrest while he was in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention in New Jersey,
the case must be heard there. Government lawyers had asked that his petition be considered in Louisiana,
where Khalil had been flown to after being arrested by Ice in New York City and then briefly held in New Jersey.

“Given that the District of New Jersey is the one and only district in which Khalil could have filed his Petition when he did, the statutes that govern transfer of civil cases from one federal district court to another dictate that the case be sent there, not to the Western District of Louisiana,”
Furman wrote.
He added that “the Court’s March 10, 2025 Order barring the Government from removing him (to which the Government has never raised an objection and which the Government has not asked the Court to lift in the event of transfer) shall similarly remain in effect unless and until the transferee court orders otherwise.”
theguardian.com/us-news/live/2

the Guardian · Greenpeace to appeal verdict ordering them to pay at least $660m to energy firm for pipeline protests – liveOrganisation condemns verdict that could bankrupt its US operation and risks ‘destroying right to peaceful protest’

Green cards grant foreign nationals the right to live and work in the U.S. as permanent residents.

They’re valid for ten years and have to new renewed.

“Only the immigration judge can take away that green card.

The Trump administration thinks that they can expand that and do some crazy things,”
said Curtis Morrison,
an immigration attorney in California with experience litigating against the Trump administration.

“But the law as it is now — he needs to be able to appear before an immigration judge.”

The government has to initiate removal proceedings in immigration court,
and an individual has the right to go before a judge to defend themselves and understand the government reasoning for the potential deportation.

“[It’s the] Immigration and Nationality Act
— which describes different kinds of conduct or crimes that could trigger somebody with a green card being deported and put into court proceedings to have them deported,”
said Gregory Chen, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

The law doesn’t always require convictions for green card holders to be deported.

“There is a long list of behaviors, conduct and also crimes.
If somebody’s been convicted of something that could make somebody deportable if they have a green card,” he said.

Chen hadn’t heard of other green card cases like Schmidt’s other than that of Palestinian and Syrian student activist #Mahmoud #Khalid in New York City,
a green card holder who is currently detained due to his protest activity at Columbia University.

In that case, attorneys are relying partially on First Amendment right of protest.

“We have seen a disturbing trend from the federal government to target people who have legal immigration status,”
said Chen,
including not just those who have green cards, but people with visas and varying legal statuses.

“Denying a green card holder admission on such a minor charge would be an extreme case,
but it is possible under the law,”
said Jaclyn Kelley-Widmer, immigration law professor at Cornell Law School of the pot possession charge and deportation.

The reasons a green card holder can be deported include many kinds of criminal convictions, even if those convictions are from a long time ago and even some very minor convictions.

For marijuana convictions, a person is deportable unless the conviction is for possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana for one’s own use, she said.

Otherwise, any controlled substances offense makes a green card holder deportable.
nhpr.org/nh-news/2025-03-14/gr

NHPR · Green card holder from New Hampshire 'interrogated' at Logan Airport, detainedFabian Schmidt’s family said they are unsure of why he is being held. They said he has a recently renewed green card, and no active issues in court.

A far-right group that claimed credit for the arrest of a Palestinian activist and permanent US resident who the Trump administration is seeking to deport-- claims it has submitted “thousands of names” for similar treatment.

"Betar US" is one of a number of rightwing, so called "pro-Israel" groups
that are supporting the administration’s efforts to deport international students involved in university pro-Palestinian protests,
an effort that escalated this week with the arrest of #Mahmoud #Khalil, an activist who recently completed his graduate studies at Columbia University.

This week, Donald Trump said Khalil’s arrest was
just “the first of many to come”.
#BetarUS quickly claimed credit on social media for providing Khalil’s name to the government.

Betar, 💥which has been labelled an extremist group by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish advocacy group,
said on Monday that it had
“been working on deportations and will continue to do so”,
and warned that the effort would extend beyond immigrants.
❌“Expect naturalized citizens to start being picked up within the month,” the group’s post on X read.
(It is very difficult to revoke US citizenship, though Trump has indicated an intention to try.)

👉Deporting speakers over supposed ‘propaganda’ is a stock authoritarian move

The group has compiled a so-called “deportation list”
naming individuals it believes are in the US on visas and have participated in pro-Palestinian protests, claiming these individuals “terrorize America”.
A Betar spokesperson, #Daniel #Levy, said in a statement to the Guardian that Betar submitted 🆘“thousands of names” of students and faculty they believe to be on visas from institutions like Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, Syracuse University and others to representatives of the Trump administration.

The group claims to have “documentation, including tapes, social media and more” to support their actions.
It claims to be sharing names with several high-ranking officials, including the secretary of state, Marco #Rubio; the White House homeland security adviser, Stephen #Miller; and the attorney general, Pam #Bondi, among others.

The White House and state department did not respond to questions about whether they are working with Betar or other groups to identify students for deportation.

theguardian.com/us-news/2025/m

The Guardian · Pro-Israel group says it has ‘deportation list’ and has sent ‘thousands’ of names to Trump officialsBy Anna Betts

As the Trump administration’s effort to deport #Mahmoud #Khalil sparks legal battles and demonstrations,
#Columbia #University announced Thursday that it has
👉revoked degrees from some other pro-Palestinian campus protesters.
A campuswide email reported by The Associated Press says that “the Columbia University Judicial Board determined findings and issued sanctions to students
ranging from multiyear suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions related to the occupation of Hamilton Hall last spring.”
commondreams.org/news/columbia

Common Dreams · Columbia Yanks Degrees From Pro-Palestine Protesters Amid Outrage Over Khalil Arrest | Common DreamsThe impacted students and graduates are accused of participating in the occupation of a university building that protesters renamed in honor of a child killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

#Mahmoud #ICE #ColumbiaUniversity #Palestine

Orlando: Protesters at Federal building housing immigration court demand unconditional release of Khalil Mamhoud.

On the 11th of March, protesters in front of Orlando's Federal building demanded that Trump release Khalil Mamhoud and cancel plans to round up and deport pro-Palestine students. Protesters warned "You are not safe if Mahmoud isn't safe."

One of the ICE agents told
#Mahmoud #Khalil’s attorney by phone that they were executing a state department order to revoke Khalil’s student visa.

Informed by the attorney that Khalil, who graduated last December, was in the United States as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that too, according to the lawyer.

c.im/@cdarwin/1141369498675365

C.IMChuck Darwin (@cdarwin@c.im)ICE arrests Palestinian activist with green card at Columbia University #Mahmoud #Khalil is married to a U.S. citizen, his attorney said. if they get away with arresting legal residents, they'll get citizens next. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil -- a leader in Columbia University's encampment movement -- on Saturday night, claiming that his student visa had been revoked, according to attorney Amy Greer in a statement to ABC News. However, Khalil is in the United States on a green card and not on a student visa, Greer said Sunday. Despite informing agents about his legal status, ICE detained him, she said. At one point during a phone call with agents, they hung up on Greer, a representative of her law firm told ABC News. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin addressed Khalil's arrest on Sunday night, saying, “On March 9, 2025, in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism.... Yeah, they pulled the antisemitism card https://abcnews.go.com/US/ice-arrests-palestinian-activist-green-card-columbia-university/story?id=119616144

ICE arrests Palestinian activist with green card at Columbia University

#Mahmoud #Khalil is married to a U.S. citizen,
his attorney said.

if they get away with arresting legal residents, they'll get citizens next.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil
-- a leader in Columbia University's encampment movement
-- on Saturday night, claiming that his student visa had been revoked, according to attorney Amy Greer in a statement to ABC News.

However, Khalil is in the United States on a green card and not on a student visa, Greer said Sunday.

Despite informing agents about his legal status, ICE detained him, she said.

At one point during a phone call with agents, they hung up on Greer, a representative of her law firm told ABC News.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin addressed Khalil's arrest on Sunday night, saying, “On March 9, 2025, in support of President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism....

Yeah, they pulled the antisemitism card
abcnews.go.com/US/ice-arrests-

ABC News · ICE arrests Palestinian activist with green card at Columbia University: AttorneyBy Armando Garcia