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March 11, 2025 | 04:36 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of U.S. lawmakers and civil rights organizations on Monday, March 10, 2025, condemned the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who helped lead the pro-Palestinian encampments in April 2024.
Khalil was arrested at his residence, a university-owned property, in New York on Saturday night, as reported by Anadolu.
Democratic Representative of Michigan Rashida Tlaib condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on freedom of speech.
"Free Mahmoud Khalil. This is straight out of the fascist playbook. Criminalizing dissent is an assault on our First Amendment and freedom of speech," said Tlaib, asserting that revoking the green card of someone who merely expresses their political opinion is “illegal.”
“Protesting genocide is not a crime," said the Palestinian-American woman.
Meanwhile, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned that the arrest could set a dangerous precedent.
"Anyone—left, right, or center—who has highlighted the importance of constitutional rights + free speech should be sounding the alarm now," she wrote on social media platform X.
New York Attorney General Letitia James also expressed concern and called the arrest "lawless," adding that her office is in contact with Mahmour Khalil’s attorney.
President Donald Trump, in his statement on Monday, defended Khalil's arrest, claiming that the Palestinian was a “foreign pro-Hamas student,” while pledging that more arrests are to come.
According to Khalil's lawyer, Amy Greer, her client was "wrongfully arrested" by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who claimed his student visa had been revoked, despite Mahmoud Khalil being a legal permanent resident with a green card.
"We will vigorously be pursuing Mahmoud's rights in court, and will continue our efforts to right this terrible and inexcusable—and calculated—wrong committed against him," Greer said in a statement.
She specifically accused the U.S. government of targeting Columbia University students who criticize Israel's heinous attacks in Gaza.
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