Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil returns to New York area after ICE detention
Editor's note: The above video previously aired on April 11
NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday after being held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana, according to the Associated Press.
The 30-year-old Palestinian activist was reunited with his wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, and their infant son after being held for three months in federal immigration detention.
"Even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine," Khalil said during a news conference at Newark airport.
"I just want to go back and continue the work that I was already doing, advocating for Palestinian rights."
Khalil was freed from the federal facility in Louisiana on Friday after U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ruled that the Syrian activist was not a danger to the community or a flight risk.
Khalil, who is a green card holder, was among the first foreign students to be arrested in the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign students with ties to pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses.
While being held by ICE for three months, Khalil repeatedly requested a transfer to a facility in New Jersey to be closer to his family, but eventually missed the birth of his first child.
As part of Khalil’s conditions of release, he must surrender his passport and travel documents, though the government will provide him a certified copy of his passport and green card. The judge also restricted his travel to four states and Washington, D.C.
"We know this ruling does not begin to address the injustices the Trump administration has brought upon our family, and so many others the government is trying to silence for speaking out against Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians," said Dr. Abdalla, Mahmoud Khalil’s wife in a statement.
"But today we are celebrating Mahmoud coming back to New York to be reunited with our little family, and the community that has supported us since the day he was unjustly taken for speaking out for Palestinian freedom.”
This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.