Jena, LA – On Thursday, May 22, hundreds of protesters gathered in Jena, Louisiana, outside of the ICE detention center where the Trump administration has detained Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil. Protesters from New Orleans, Austin, Dallas, Houston and other nearby cities traveled for hours to join the rally as Khalil appeared before an immigration judge inside the Jena facility.

Pouring out of packed buses and cars, protesters gathered on the road outside the ICE facility wearing keffiyehs, waving Palestine flags, and holding signs in support of Khalil and the over 1000 immigrants currently held in the facility for deportation. Protesters chanted “Free Mahmoud Khalil now!” and “Down, down with deportations” as they approached the detention center.

Under the intense Louisiana sun, the rally continued for nearly five hours with chants against Zionism, the U.S. support for the genocide in Gaza, political repression and deportations. Attendees included prominent Islamic scholar and civil rights activist Dr. Omar Suleiman, who led a prayer on the road outside the facility.

Speaking for the Palestinian Youth Movement, Hakm Murad said, “Mahmoud Khalil and all Palestinians are born into a reality where even in exile a fire burns within us, for truth, justice, and return!” As Hakm declared, “We are demanding, not one more day,” the crowd returned his cry in unison, chanting, “Not one more day! Not one more day!”

The Trump administration ordered Khalil’s deportation in early March. Since then, Khalil has sat in detention for nearly three months. Just days before Thursday’s hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where he doubled down on his decision to order Khalil’s deportation, accusing Khalil of undermining U.S. foreign policy for participating in pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University.

Dr. Noor Abdulla, Khalil’s wife, addressed the crowd in Jena, saying “It was so heartwarming to hear your guys’ voices. The support means so much to me and Mahmoud and that’s what’s keeping us going.”

Dr. Abdulla was eight months pregnant at the time of Khalil’s detention in March. She gave birth in April without her husband by her side. When Abdulla traveled with the child to visit Khalil in Jena on Wednesday, ICE officers prohibited Khalil from any physical contact with his family. On Thursday during his hearing, officials finally permitted Khalil to hold his baby boy.

While protesters expected the judge to decide on Khalil’s deportation, it was announced that the decision would be delayed. Later in the evening as attendees rode on buses back home, Khalil’s legal team communicated that the judge requested closing arguments on June 2, with a decision to come in the days after, prolonging his detention. Regardless of the decision made by the judge in Jena, Khalil’s case is expected to be appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court in New Orleans.

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