'I am a political prisoner': Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil decries US immigration arrest

Columbia University graduate says in letter from Louisiana detention centre that he is being attacked for his beliefs

Mahmoud Khalil's arrest has sparked protests in the US, including in New York. Reuters

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Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil has described himself as a political prisoner in his first public remarks since his detention by US immigration authorities, who are seeking to deport him for his role in pro-Palestinian protests.

In a letter made public on Tuesday, he said his 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”.

“My name is Mahmoud Khalil and I am a political prisoner,” he said, claiming his detention was indicative of anti-Palestinian racism.

The arrest of Mr Khalil, a US permanent resident and graduate of Columbia University, has been condemned by rights groups as an assault on free speech and due process. More than 100 Democratic legislators from the US House of Representatives questioned the legality of his detention in a letter to the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Justice Department lawyers say Mr Khalil, 30, was subject to deportation because Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined his US presence could have “adverse foreign policy consequences”.

“I am writing to you from a detention facility in Louisiana where I wake to cold mornings and spend long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices under way against a great many people precluded from the protections of the law,” Mr Khalil said in the letter, which was dictated over the phone.

He said his arrest on March 8 had seen agents from the Department of Homeland Security take him into custody without a warrant, handcuff him and force him into an unmarked car.

Footage shows moment Mahmoud Khalil was arrested

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He drew parallels between his detention and what he called “Israel’s use of administrative detention – imprisonment without trial or charge – to strip Palestinians of their rights”.

“For Palestinians, imprisonment without due process is commonplace,” he said.

He also railed against US foreign policy on the Gaza war. “The US has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention. For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand US laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted,” he said.

Mr Khalil added that it was his “moral imperative to persist in the struggle” for the freedom of Palestinians.

He also criticised officials at Columbia University who he said “enabled” his arrest. They “laid the groundwork for the US government to target me by arbitrarily disciplining pro-Palestinian students and allowing viral doxing – based on racism and disinformation – to go unchecked”, he said.

Mr Khalil's lawyers have called for his immediate release. He became a US permanent resident last year and his wife is eight months pregnant.

His arrest has sparked protests in the US, including in New York on Tuesday when hundreds gathered at Times Square demanding his release.

Mr Trump has vowed to deport pro-Palestinian activists who have taken part in protests on US college campuses against Israel's war in Gaza. He has alleged the protesters are anti-Semitic and support Hamas militants.

Pro-Palestinian advocates, including some Jewish groups, say their criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza is wrongly conflated with anti-Semitism by their critics while their support for Palestinian rights is also falsely conflated with support for Hamas militants.

The US government has not elaborated on how Mr Khalil could harm US foreign policy. Mr Trump, without evidence, has accused him of supporting Hamas. Mr Khalil's legal team says he has no links to Hamas.

“The Trump administration is targeting me as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent,” Mr Khalil said. “Visa holders, green-card carriers and citizens alike will all be targeted for their political beliefs.”