Mahmoud Khalil, 30, was barred from attending the birth of his first child on Monday, his wife told Newsweek.
“This was a purposeful decision by ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to make me, Mahmoud, and our son suffer,” Dr. Noor Abdalla said.
Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email for comment.
The Context
Abdalla was eight months pregnant when Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student, pro-Palestinian organizer and green card holder, was detained at their New York City home on March 8.
The Trump administration has cited his involvement in a number of protests at Columbia as grounds for his detention and deportation.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
What To Know
Abdalla gave birth to a healthy baby boy at a New York hospital on Monday.
Her husband joined her by telephone for the labor of their child, as he was more than 1,000 miles away at a Louisiana immigration detention center.
Khalil, who has never been charged with a crime, had made a monitored furlough request to attend the birth, with his lawyers arguing that he could wear an ankle monitor and make scheduled check-ins.
But ICE officials denied it in less than an hour, according to emails seen by The New York Times.
“My son and I should not be navigating his first days on earth without Mahmoud,” Abdalla said in a statement to Newsweek. “ICE and the Trump administration have stolen these precious moments from our family in an attempt to silence Mahmoud’s support for Palestinian freedom.”
Earlier this month, a federal immigration judge in Louisiana ruled Khalil‘s deportation case can move forward, a major blow to the activist who has been in detention for weeks without charges.
The judge ruled in agreement with a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which accused the Columbia graduate student of undermining “U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism.” Rubio had revoked Khalil’s green card under a law that allows the State Secretary to take action against anyone considered a threat to American foreign policy. Neither Rubio nor the judge cited any illegal activity.
But a New Jersey district court judge has barred the government from deporting Khalil while he considers the constitutional issues in the case.
What People Are Saying
Khalil’s lawyer, Marc Van Der Hout, said of ICE’s refusal to allow him to attend the birth, “It was definitely just punitive. It was an utter lack of humanity.”
Abdalla said in a statement to Newsweek on Monday: “I will continue to fight every day for Mahmoud to come home to us. I know when Mahmoud is freed, he will show our son how to be brave, thoughtful, and compassionate, just like his dad.”
Khalil said in court, after a Louisiana judge ruled he can be deported, “I would like to quote what you said last time that there’s nothing that’s more important to this court than due process rights and fundamental fairness. Clearly what we witnessed today, neither of these principles were present today or in this whole process.”
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin previously told Newsweek in a statement: “Khalil led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. ICE and the Department of State are committed to enforcing President Trump’s executive orders and to protecting U.S. national security.”
What’s Next
Khalil has until Wednesday to file applications for relief, or face deportation to Syria or Algeria. His attorneys have already said they plan to challenge the Louisiana judge’s ruling before the Board of Immigration Appeals, and may file an asylum case.
