Mahmoud Khalil’s 104 days in ICE Detention

September 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

On the night of March 8, 2025, Mahmood Khalil was walking into his New York apartment building with his eight-months-pregnant wife when a plainclothes man slipped in behind him. Within minutes, Khalil was in handcuffs. Within two days, he was in an immigration detention center in rural Louisiana, more than a thousand miles from home. He had a green card, no criminal record, and had never been charged with a crime. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio had invoked a rarely used provision to declare him a threat to U.S. foreign policy—the first time such a determination had been made against a permanent resident. Khalil spent 104 days in detention. His son was born while he was inside. A federal judge ordered his release in June 2025, but the government is still trying to deport him, and he is preparing to ask the Supreme Court to hear his case.

The arrest and the green card that meant "safety and stability"

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What you'll learn

1 (00:18) **Arrest and the Green Card** - Khalil describes the night of his arrest and what his permanent residency meant to him after a life of temporary status.
2 (07:29) **Role as a Negotiator** - Khalil explains his unique role in the Columbia protests and why the administration treated students as a "PR threat."
3 (09:11) **The Fear of Disappearance** - Khalil describes the terrifying two days after his arrest when he was shuttled to an unknown location and feared for his wife's safety.
4 (11:32) **The "Foreign Policy Threat" Charge** - The government's unprecedented charge against a green-card holder is defined and its flimsy evidence is revealed.
5 (13:00) **President Trump's Target** - Khalil reacts to President Trump calling him a "troublemaker" and vowing to deport him, and explains why he kept fighting.
6 (16:05) **The "Pro-Hamas" Label and What He Believes** - Khalil explains why no one from the government ever asked his views and gives his nuanced answer on Hamas.
7 (21:07) **Inside the Detention Center** - Khalil describes the harsh conditions of the ICE detention center in Louisiana, calling the system "torture."

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Show Notes

Khalil was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and fled the country at 18. He had a green card to be in the United States, and had become one of the most visible faces of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, where he had been a graduate student and a negotiator between the protesters and the administration. In 2025, he was arrested by ICE and sent to a detention center in Louisiana. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the events, the pro-Palestine movement, and his hopes for the future. His memoir is No Land to Stand On.

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