Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil calls himself a 'political prisoner' after U.S. immigration arrest

Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University Palestinian graduate student who the Trump administration is seeking to deport for his role in pro-Palestinian protests, called himself a political prisoner in his first direct comments since his detention.

The detention of Khalil, a U.S. permanent resident, has been condemned by multiple human rights groups as an assault on free speech and due process. Over 100 Democratic lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives have questioned the detention's legality in a letter to the administration of Republican President Donald Trump.

In court, a U.S. judge on Wednesday denied a bid by the Trump administration to dismiss Khalil's challenge to the legality of his March 8 arrest by immigration agents. 

But Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman agreed with the Justice Department that he did not have jurisdiction over the case. Furman ordered the case moved to federal court in the state of New Jersey, where Khalil was held at the time his lawyers first challenged his arrest.

Furman did not rule on Khalil's bid to be released on bail from detention.

Justice Department lawyers say Khalil, 30, was subject to deportation because Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined his U.S. presence could have "adverse foreign policy consequences."

Khalil's case could test where courts draw the line between protected speech guaranteed to citizens and non-citizens alike under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment and the executive branch's view that some protests can undermine foreign policy.

"My name is Mahmoud Khalil and I am a political prisoner," Khalil said in a letter made public on Tuesday.

"My arrest was a direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza, which resumed in full force Monday night," Khalil said in the letter, referring to the latest renewed Israeli strikes on Gaza that local authorities said killed over 400 Palestinians.

Khalil's lawyers have urged that he be released immediately. Khalil became a U.S. lawful permanent resident last year. His wife is eight months pregnant.

Khalil's arrest sparked protests in different U.S. cities, including in New York City on Tuesday when hundreds gathered at Times Square demanding his release.

Trump has vowed to deport pro-Palestinian activists who took part in protests on U.S. college campuses against Israel's war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack. Trump has alleged the protesters are antisemitic and support Hamas militants.

Pro-Palestinian advocates, including some Jewish groups, say their criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza is wrongly conflated with antisemitism by their critics while their support for Palestinian rights is conflated with support for Hamas militants. Khalil said in Tuesday's letter his arrest was indicative of anti-Palestinian racism.

The government has not elaborated how Khalil could harm U.S. foreign policy. Trump, without evidence, has accused him of supporting Hamas. Khalil's legal team says he has no links to Hamas.