Mahmoud Khalil

Stories

Cold war law revived to deport campus activists

As of May 2026: Free on bail until late February 2026; facing deportation order to Algeria

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 gave the Secretary of State power to deport noncitizens whose presence threatens U.S. foreign policy. For seven decades, this Cold War-era statute gathered dust until March 8, 2025, when ICE arrested Mahmoud Khalil—a Columbia graduate student and green card holder—from his apartment for his role negotiating on behalf of pro-Palestinian protesters.

Updated May 21

Notable Quotes

"I was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria to a family which has been displaced from their land since the 1948 Nakba. I spent my youth in proximity to yet distant from my homeland."

from Cold war law revived to deport campus activists · Updated May 21

"It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech. When their first effort to deport me was set to fail, they resorted to fabricating baseless and ridiculous allegations."

from Cold war law revived to deport campus activists · Updated May 21

"The Trump administration is trying everything in its power to come after me, to put the full weight of the government to actually make an example out of me."

from Cold war law revived to deport campus activists · Updated May 21

"This ruling underscores how this administration is weaponizing the legal system, how fragile due process can be when our rights are treated as conditional rather than guaranteed."

from Cold war law revived to deport campus activists · Updated May 21