Jailed Columbia student Khalil meets newborn son for first time
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Mr Mahmoud Khalil – a central figure in the US debate over the Gaza war – was able to see and hold his baby on May 22 for the first time.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JENA, Louisiana – Mr Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist arrested by US immigration agents in March, met his month-old son for the first time on May 22 before an immigration hearing, his attorneys said.
After the day-long hearing, Judge Jamee Comans of the LaSalle Immigration Court in Jena, Louisiana, did not decide whether the US government can proceed with deporting Mr Khalil. She was to rule at a later date.
Before the proceedings began, Mr Khalil met with his wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, and their baby Deen inside the Jena facility, an encounter made possible by a judge’s ruling on May 21 that Mr Khalil must be allowed to meet with his wife.
Ms Amy Greer, one of his attorneys, told reporters after the hearing: “Mahmoud was able to see his baby and hold his baby and talk to his wife and hold his wife this morning.” She added that lawyers allowed the family privacy and were unable to relay details of the encounter.
Mr Khalil, a leader in the Columbia University student movement that has criticised Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, has become a central figure in the US debate over the war and Trump administration tactics to use its jailing and deportation powers against political opponents.
The Trump administration has said his presence could harm US foreign policy interests. Mr Khalil says he is the victim of US repression of free speech.
His son was born after Mr Khalil was arrested on March 8 as the US State Department revoked his green card under a little-used provision of US immigration law granting the US secretary of state the power to seek the deportation of any non-citizen whose presence in the country is deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests.
Mr Khalil, 30, a Palestinian who was born and raised in a refugee camp in Syria, entered the US on a student visa in 2022 and became a lawful permanent resident in 2024 through his wife, a US citizen.
In separate proceedings, a federal judge has blocked Mr Khalil’s removal while considering the student’s claim that his arrest was unconstitutional. That order will stand whether Judge Comans rules in favour of deporting him until the broader questions are settled. REUTERS
