Pro-Palestinian Activist Freed After 104 Days in ICE Detention

Mahmoud Khalil speaks out about his harrowing experience in US custody and criticizes Columbia University’s silence during his incarceration

NEW YORK – Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent voice in pro-Palestinian student protests across US campuses, has spoken publicly for the first time since being released from federal immigration custody after spending 104 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.

On the steps of Columbia University, where he was enrolled as a graduate student, the 30-year-old recounted his traumatic time behind bars. “I shared a dorm with over 70 men — absolutely no privacy, lights on all the time,” Khalil said, calling the conditions “horrendous” and “a stain on the U.S. Constitution.”

Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States, is married to an American citizen and has a US-born son. Despite his lawful status, he was detained in March 2025 and faced deportation proceedings, labeled a national security threat by the Trump administration due to his activism opposing Israel’s war in Gaza — a cause that has led to widespread protests at college campuses across the country.

He was held at a federal detention center in Jena, Louisiana, until a judge ordered his release on bail this past Friday.

“It’s so normal in detention to see men cry,” Khalil told the crowd, describing the emotional toll of confinement. “I listened every day to stories of heartbreak — a father of four whose wife is battling cancer, a man who’s lived in the US for over 20 years, with American-born children, yet faces deportation.”

Khalil revealed how he clung to hope amid the despair. “It is often hard to find patience in ICE detention,” he said. “Hundreds of people are packed in, all told that their existence is illegal. And not one of us knows when we’ll be free.”

He drew strength from a protest chant that stayed with him: “I believe that we will win.” He etched the phrase into his bunk bed, reading it every night before sleep and again each morning. “It was the only thing that gave me hope,” he said. “And today, I know that in a small way, I have won — because I am free.”

While Khalil received widespread support from activists and immigrant rights groups, he saved sharp criticism for Columbia University, accusing the institution of turning its back on him. “They said they wanted to protect their international students,” he said, “yet after more than 100 days, I didn’t receive even a single call from the university.”

His wife, Noor Abdalla, who gave birth to their child while Khalil was in detention, spoke emotionally during the event. “His voice is stronger now than it’s ever been,” she said. “One day, our son will know that his father didn’t bow to fear. He will know that his father stood tall when it was hardest, and that the world stood with him.”

As Khalil walked away from the university steps — cheered by supporters — his story stood as a testament to endurance, dignity, and the high cost of dissent in today’s America.