Chaos broke out at Trump Tower when a huge group of protesters, who were “anti-ICE and pro-Hamas,” gathered in Midtown Manhattan to protest against the detention of Mahmoud Khalil. The protest was particularly organized to highlight Khalil’s case, after he was arrested by federal immigration officials.
Khalil, 30-year-old Algerian-born Palestinian-green card holder, has been a public figurehead at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Columbia University campuses. His arrest recently sparked an upsurge of activism, particularly following the Trump administration announcing him “subject to removal from the United States,” NBC News reported.
Khalil was arrested Saturday in New York City and initially taken to a New Jersey detention center before being transferred to a jail in Jena, Louisiana. As a legal permanent resident and husband of a U.S. citizen, his case has raised serious concerns about his potential deportation. The administration cited a provision of the immigration statute under which deportation may be ordered for an individual who is found to seriously endanger the foreign policy of the United States.
Protest videos outside Trump Tower quickly spread across social media, with protesters calling out slogans against the US government, with calls to “Free Mahmoud, Free them All!” One uploaded the reality of hundreds yelling, “We want justice, you say how. Bring Mahmoud home now!” The demonstrations were organized by the Jewish Voice for Peace, calling for Khalil’s release.
The reports indicated that nearly 100 protesters were arrested during the protest. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene issued a warning to the protesters stating that the building owner would likely sue them.
Among the demonstrators was actress Debra Winger, who criticized the Trump administration as having “no interest in Jewish safety” and charged that it was “co-opting antisemitism.” Winger declared her intention to defend Khalil, whom she described as having been “abducted illegally.”.
The Department of Homeland Security has issued Khalil with a notice of deportation proceedings, requesting him to appear before an immigration judge at the Louisiana detention center on March 27. Khalil reportedly declined to sign the deportation notice presented to him soon after his arrest.
In a turnabout, a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportation of Khalil in order for him to remain in the United States while an appeal for his detention is heard in court. Along with ongoing immigration court hearings deciding whether or not the DHS made the correct move in deports him and rescinding his green card, Khalil gets temporary reprieve from deportation.
