Mahmoud Khalil’s wife Noor Abdallah has accused the US government of trying to silence pro-Palestinian activities.
Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian parent activist who was detained in the US awaiting his deportation, missed the birth of his son after being denied temporary release to attend his birth, his wife said.
Noor Abdallah said on Monday that Khalil gave birth to the couple’s first child without attending after our immigration and customs enforcement agencies made the “intentional decision” to torment her family.
“My son and I should not navigate his first day on Earth without Mahmoud,” US citizen Abdallah said in a statement.
“The Ice and the Trump administration have stole these precious moments from our family in order to silence Mahmoud’s support for Palestinian freedom.”
“I will continue to fight every day for Mahmoud to get us home,” Abdallah added.
“When Mahmoud is released, he knows to show our son a way of brave, thoughtful and caring like his father.”
ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Halil, a graduate student at Columbia University, played a prominent role in last year’s campus protests against Israeli war in Gaza last year, was detained by immigration authorities on March 8 as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activities.
The Trump administration is trying to expel Halil, who is being held in an ice facility in Louisiana, claiming his defense undermines efforts to “fight anti-Semitism” and “protect Jewish students from harassment and violence.”
A permanent resident of the United States, Halil denied any involvement in anti-Semitism.
Earlier this month, a Louisiana immigration judge ruled that the Trump administration could proceed with a deportation lawsuit against Halil, and the government found that it was “established by clear and convincing evidence that he was removable.”
Halil’s lawyers said they would appeal the decision.
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