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Palestinian activist says Trump’s government is trying to silence him
(MENAFN) Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil accused the Trump administration of attempting to suppress pro-Palestine voices by seeking his re-detention, after his legal team appeared Tuesday before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia to challenge the legality of his detention, according to reports.
“We just finished a long hearing,” Khalil told reporters outside the court. “I feel confident, of course. The Trump administration is still trying to re-detain me. They’re trying to stop the federal court from looking at my case because they know they don’t have a case against me.”
Khalil, 30, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate, is a lawful permanent resident married to a US citizen. He was taken into custody in March without a warrant by immigration authorities in New York City and transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana, where he was held for several months.
The administration claimed that his presence posed a threat to US foreign policy, but provided no evidence. A lower court ordered his release on bail in June and prohibited further detention or deportation.
“This case is not about Mahmoud Khalil,” he said. “This case is about every single person in this country, whether they are citizens or not — this case is about their freedom of speech and their ability to dissent, and their ability to speak up, especially about Palestine and the genocide that’s happening in Gaza.”
“They want to break me because they want to deport me to be out as soon as possible, so that others would fear speaking out. That's why I'm continuing to fight,” Khalil added.
His attorneys appeared before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, urging judges to uphold lower court rulings that deemed the government’s actions likely unconstitutional and ordered his release on bail. Ramzi Kassem, co-director of the CLEAR project and Khalil’s attorney, said the court heard oral arguments regarding the government’s appeal challenging both Khalil’s release and the prior decision nullifying the deportation order.
“We just finished a long hearing,” Khalil told reporters outside the court. “I feel confident, of course. The Trump administration is still trying to re-detain me. They’re trying to stop the federal court from looking at my case because they know they don’t have a case against me.”
Khalil, 30, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate, is a lawful permanent resident married to a US citizen. He was taken into custody in March without a warrant by immigration authorities in New York City and transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana, where he was held for several months.
The administration claimed that his presence posed a threat to US foreign policy, but provided no evidence. A lower court ordered his release on bail in June and prohibited further detention or deportation.
“This case is not about Mahmoud Khalil,” he said. “This case is about every single person in this country, whether they are citizens or not — this case is about their freedom of speech and their ability to dissent, and their ability to speak up, especially about Palestine and the genocide that’s happening in Gaza.”
“They want to break me because they want to deport me to be out as soon as possible, so that others would fear speaking out. That's why I'm continuing to fight,” Khalil added.
His attorneys appeared before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, urging judges to uphold lower court rulings that deemed the government’s actions likely unconstitutional and ordered his release on bail. Ramzi Kassem, co-director of the CLEAR project and Khalil’s attorney, said the court heard oral arguments regarding the government’s appeal challenging both Khalil’s release and the prior decision nullifying the deportation order.
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