Columbia U Pro-Hamas Agitator Mahmoud Khalil Calls Himself a ‘Political Prisoner’ in First Public Statement from Detention Center

By: Fern Sidman

In a powerful open letter released Tuesday, Mahmoud Khalil — a prominent Columbia University anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activist — described his arrest and detention by federal immigration authorities as an assault on his fundamental right to free speech. Dictated by phone from a Louisiana immigration detention facility, Khalil’s letter paints a harrowing portrait of what he describes as political persecution under the guise of national security enforcement, as was reported in The New York Daily News on Tuesday.

“I am a political prisoner,” Khalil declared, arguing that his arrest was the direct result of his activism in support of Palestinian rights and his outspoken criticism of U.S. foreign policy and Israeli military actions in Gaza. “My arrest was a direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza, which resumed in full force Monday night,” he said in the letter, as quoted by The New York Daily News.

Khalil, 30, rose to national prominence last spring as a key figure in pro-Hamas demonstrations at Columbia University. He served as a lead negotiator between student activists and the university administration, and as a vocal spokesman during the Gaza solidarity tent encampments that demanded the university divest from Israel. As The New York Daily News reported, Khalil has not been accused of any crime, but federal authorities argue that his continued presence in the United States poses “serious adverse foreign policy consequences” — a claim his legal team strongly disputes.

According to court filings reviewed by The New York Daily News, federal officials have raised concerns about Khalil’s clear cut sympathies with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. His attorneys have firmly denied any such association or sympathies, asserting that Khalil’s political views fall squarely within the protected bounds of free speech.

Although Khalil originally entered the United States on a student visa, he is now a lawful permanent resident after marrying a U.S. citizen. Despite his green card status, his detention has sparked outrage among civil liberties advocates and student groups alike, who argue that his case reflects a chilling pattern of state repression against political dissent — particularly pro-Hamas and pro-terror voices.

Khalil’s account of his arrest, as detailed in The New York Daily News, offers a stark glimpse into the circumstances that led to his detention. He alleges that federal agents intercepted him late at night as he returned home to his Columbia apartment with his pregnant wife, Noor Abdalla, who is expecting their first child — a son — next month. Khalil wrote that he was handcuffed and taken away in an unmarked vehicle without being shown a warrant.

“Before I knew what was happening, agents handcuffed and forced me into an unmarked car. At that moment, my only concern was for Noor’s safety,” he wrote in his letter. He said he had no idea what he was being arrested for, nor whether he would face immediate deportation. According to the information provided in The New York Daily News report, he spent the first night on the floor of a federal field office in Manhattan, later transferred to a New Jersey facility where he again slept without a bed.

As of Tuesday, he remained in detention in Louisiana, where his legal team is fighting to have him returned to New York and ultimately released.

In his letter, Khalil did not reserve his criticism solely for federal authorities. He accused both the Trump and Biden administrations of “anti-Palestinian racism,” and leveled pointed criticism at Columbia University’s leadership. As reported by The New York Daily News, Khalil said that university administrators helped pave the way for the federal targeting of student activists by permitting doxxing of anti-Israel student activists and pursuing disciplinary action against those who criticized the Jewish state.

Khalil claimed these actions amounted to institutional complicity in a larger campaign of repression. He specifically accused both the current and former Columbia University presidents of enabling what he sees as a political crackdown, further reinforcing the narrative that his detention is not about national security, but about silencing political speech.

Columbia University declined to comment when contacted by The New York Daily News on Tuesday.

Khalil’s letter concludes on a deeply personal note. While asserting that his struggle is symbolic of broader systemic injustice, he also expresses a simple human desire — to be with his family during a life-changing moment. “Knowing fully that this moment transcends my individual circumstances, I hope nonetheless to be free to witness the birth of my first-born child,” he wrote.

Despite Khalil’s assertion that he has been victimized by a system that seeks to severely infringe on his first amendment rights, others view Khalil quite differently. As The Jewish Voice reported on Monday, a Jewish graduate student at Columbia University has revealed disturbing details Khalil, describing him as an “insidious” figure who harbored deep hostility toward Israel.

According to a New York Post exclusive report, the student, who preferred to remain anonymous, said Khalil’s extreme views made her feel unsafe, ultimately leading her to drop a class they shared at the university’s School of International and Public Affairs. Despite filing formal complaints, she claimed Columbia failed to take any action against him.

“It would almost be easier if he were some terrifying-looking man who threatened to punch people in the face, but he wasn’t,” she said. “He was very soft-spoken and careful with his words, which almost made him seem more insidious because it was so intentional.”

Khalil’s presence on the Morningside Heights campus had long sparked concerns among Jewish students, many of whom said they felt threatened by his rhetoric and actions.

The student recalled feeling uneasy about Khalil’s behavior, especially his laptop, which bore a sticker depicting a map where Israel was blacked out. “It was just so clear that the thing driving him most in life is destroying Israel and everyone within it,” she said.

As reported by the New York Post, Khalil openly identified as a leader of the Students for Justice in Palestine group at Columbia and frequently expressed his disdain for Jews. In their class, which focused on Israeli politics, he was often absent but would show up only to interrupt discussions, particularly targeting an Israeli professor.

“He routinely attacked Jewish students in a WhatsApp group for the class, making inflammatory, anti-Semitic comments,” the student alleged. “I was so disturbed that I dropped the class entirely.” She also noted that Khalil’s aggressive online presence extended beyond Columbia, as he was often involved in external activism, spreading anti-Israel messaging through social media and campus events.

For the Jewish student who once shared a classroom with Khalil, his detention came as a relief. “It literally felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders,” she said. “I feel safer on campus now.”