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.

#JenaLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #MahmoudKhalil

New Orleans, LA – Around 60 people gathered outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in New Orleans to protest the illegal detention of Mahmoud Khalil. Attendees rallied around speakers and chanted as a judge – hours away in rural Jena, Louisiana – would decide if Khalil could be deported for his activism for Palestine.

Speaking for the Palestinian Youth Movement, Majdi Jaber said, “This ICE office that we’re outside right now directs operations in all of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama. Every day for the last month, these people have chosen to do nothing about Mahmoud’s incarceration.”

The rally continued with chants of “We want justice you say how, free Mahmoud Khalil now!” And “No Justice, no peace! No racist ICE police!”

Toni Jones, an organizer with New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police, said, “The Trump administration is saying Mahmoud is being detained because he is dangerous to American interests. But he’s not dangerous to my interests! He’s not dangerous to your interests! He’s only dangerous to the interests of the murderers who want to continue the genocide in Palestine!”

Rory Macdonald spoke out on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society, saying, “Tulane University, like university administrations across the country, is caving to Donald Trump’s racist agenda. We need an organized student movement now more than ever to show our schools that ICE has no place on our campus!”

About an hour after the rally ended, Louisiana Judge Jamee Comans ruled that Mahmoud Khalil can be deported. Comans decided this based on a memo where Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Khalil’s presence in the country would “compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.” In the same memo, Marco Rubio asserted that Khalil was part of “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities” because he stood up for Palestine. Judge Coman’s decision sets a dangerous precedent that any immigrant can be deported on Secretary Rubio’s word alone with no need for further evidence.

Upon news of the ruling, activists were left furious but nonetheless determined. “Trump and his buddies think they can shut us up by deporting Khalil, but in reality, they’re pouring gas on the fire. This ruling makes it clear: we have to fight back with everything we’ve got against this racist administration. An attack on one is an attack on all!” said MacDonald.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #Palestine #MahmoudKhalil

Similar to Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian student detained last week despite having a permanent legal status, she played a role in the pro-Palestine student protests at Columbia, including the Hind's Hall building occupation.

Authorities claim that this is normal protocol related to her visa status. That is not true. It is part of a pattern of repression that includes Khalil's case, and the investigations carried out by Trump's Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. These arrests come hot on the heels of the university suspending or expelling 22 students at Columbia University.

Emergency campus protests to “Free Mahmoud Khalil” are underway across the U.S. 1000 students walked out on Tuesday in New York City alone. More protests are springing up.

“It's political repression of campus activists who want to use their free speech to talk about Palestine, plain and simple,” said Erin Boyle, the vice president of national Students for a Democratic Society. “Trump promised deportations of Palestinian and pro-Palestine students to quench the movement, and now he's trying to deliver. But it won't work. As long as the student movement is alive and Israel occupies Palestinian land, we will never be silent.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #StudnetMovement #AntiWarMovement #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #MahmoudKhalil #LeqaaKorida

Tampa, FL – On March 12, Tampa Bay’s Students for a Democratic Society led a protest to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, who is under the threat of deportation as the U.S. pushes to revoke his green card.

Khalil is a Columbia University graduate who had participated in the nationwide pro-Palestinian encampments on his campus. He was arrested when ICE agents entered his home, taking him into custody in front of his wife, without his having been charged with any crime.

Khalil’s case is a clear threat to students and community who choose to participate in pro-Palestine protests, something the students of the University of South Florida are familiar with.

At the Tampa protest on Fowler Avenue, SDS member Joseph Charry spoke about his experience with USF. Charry was hit with a suspension from the university while out of the country, with FSU claiming he was responsible for the violence that occurred after police tear-gassed and arrested students during the nationwide solidarity encampments.

Charry stated, “At no point during my suspension process did any USF administration officials help me figure out what I should do, or what would happen to my student visa, or if I was effectively being deported from the country”

Charry was eventually forced to leave the country in September of 2024 to avoid any future complications. Charry was eventually able to return. He states, “Neither me nor Mahmoud or any other international student should be deported for standing up for Palestine”

A crowd of about 50 community members, including members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Tampa Bay Activist United, Party for Socialism and Liberation and others, joined students in a march in front of the University of South Florida with speeches demanding for the release of Khalil and the stop to the repression of pro-Palestinian solidarity actions under Trump.

As both the Trump administration and Universities crack down on what they deem “antisemitism” and “Hamas sympathizers,” these students remain steadfast in their support for the Palestinian community.

Tampa Bay SDS remains an expelled organization at USF; however the students say, “SDS will continue to fight on the right side of history.”

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MahmoudKhalil #SDS

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, March 11, the local Palestine solidarity movement sprang into action to demand the release of student activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian illegally detained by ICE last week for his role in the Palestine-solidarity encampment at Columbia University. Although Khalil is a resident of New York, he was transported to a detention facility four hours away from the city of New Orleans, Jena, Louisiana for holding.

Activists rapidly mobilized a press conference, phone zap, and demonstrations, making it clear to the Trump administration and ICE that the movement in Louisiana will fight for Khalil’s release.

Press conference and phone zap calls on Representative Troy Carter to take action

At noon, six organizations spoke at an emergency press conference in front of Louisiana Representative Troy Carter’s downtown office demanding that he pushes for the release of Khalil and the reinstatement of his green card. The New Orleans for Palestine Coalition organized a day-long phone zap to ring his office.

Majdi Jaber of the New Orleans chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement reiterated the Coalition’s demand for Troy Carter to “align his actions with his words and meet with the Palestinian Youth, our elders, and our coalition partners, and also to join [Congresswoman] Rashida Tlaib and 13 other colleagues in the House in signing a letter that formally calls for the release of Mahmoud Khalil.”

Rory MacDonald, a Tulane student suspended for participationin a university encampment for Gaza, spoke on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). MacDonald said that Trump and his administration “are under the impression that they can get away with things in Louisiana that they cannot get away with in New York. We are here to tell them that they are dead wrong. The people and the students in New Orleans and Louisiana are watching, and we are going to raise hell in this city until Mahmoud Khalil is free!”

Troy Carter’s office has since released a statement condemning Trump’s attacks on students, stating, “I stand firmly against the misuse of federal power to suppress free speech. I am committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and will continue to push back against any effort that undermines the Constitution.”

Students take the streets in solidarity, demand sanctuary policies for immigrants

Later in the day at 4:30 p.m., over 100 people rallied and took to the streets demanding Khalil’s release and that Tulane and Loyola Universities declare themselves sanctuary campuses and refuse to comply with ICE. The rally began with chants like “Don’t give in to racist fears, immigrants are welcome here!” and “We want justice, you say how: free Mahmoud Khalil now!”

Student speeches called out their universities’ failures to protect immigrant students and explained why their demands must be met.

“In 2016 when students first organized to fight for this very struggle, the Tulane Undergraduate Assembly passed a resolution in favor of sanctuary. However, Tulane ignored them,” ​said Navya Prakash, a member of Together United SDS. Prakash elaborated that sanctuary policies would make it so that universities would not disclose information about students’immigration statuses to ICE, and not permit ICE on campus without a warrant.

Protesters then marched down to Saint Charles Avenue, a major roadway and home to both Tulane and Loyola University. The action halted traffic and occupied the street as Nadir Benslimane, a member of Liberate and Unite New Orleans SDS, spoke out against the purpose of political repression against activists.

Benslimane stated, “The goal of the Trump administration right now is to ensure that no one can use their free speech to speak out against the injustices that Trump and his cronies are committing here or supporting abroad.” The Trump administration has particularly targeted universities with threats to end federal funding for those that maintain their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Students then relocated to the sidewalk in front of Loyola University, chanting “Loyola, don’t comply, we are keeping DEI!” The protest concluded with calls to join one of the many organizations present to continue struggling for their demands to be met.

#NewOrleansLA #NOLA #LoyolaUniversity #LOYNO #Trump #PYM #FreePalestine #FreeMahmoudKhalil #MahmoudKhalil #SDS #ICE #TulaneUniversity #Loyola #Tulane

New York, NY – On March 11, over 1000 students from universities throughout the city rallied at Washington Square Park to protest the detention by ICE of Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia graduate and Palestinian student activist.

On March 8, Columbia University allowed ICE agents to come onto campus to detain Mahmoud Khalil. Despite being a permanent lawful resident of the country due to his green card, he is being threatened with deportation from the country in response to his activism against Israel’s genocide of his own people.

Students chanted, “We want justice you say how? Free Mahmoud Khalil now!” and “ICE, NYPD off our universities!” Speakers from the NYU Students for Justice in Palestine (NYU SJP), NYU Students for a Democratic Society (NYU SDS) and NYU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (NYU FSJP) spoke on Mahmoud’s kidnapping and the attack this presents to the Palestinian liberation movement and the rights to free speech and protest.

“Mahmoud's arrest represents more than one individual's plight – it symbolizes how university administrations have increasingly militarized campus spaces and collaborated with law enforcement to silence legal dissent, in violation of the First Amendment” said the speaker for NYU SJP.

“Trump and his goons want to use this as a way to divide and scare people away from Palestinian activism. He wants us to sit back down, and stay quiet – But as they try to put out the flames of our movement, we are only burning brighter and hotter than ever before!” said the speaker from NYU SDS, Ebtesham Ahmed.

Ahmed continued, “In fact, in his attempts to scare us away, Donald Trump exposed the fear of himself, his cronies, and the billionaire class who has always had full control of our government. They saw the power of the people firsthand. Their fear is what drove them to kidnap Mahmoud, because as powerful as they make themselves out to be, the people united will never be defeated!”

After the speakers, the students marched through downtown Manhattan to City Hall Park. Dozens of NYPD officers followed the students as they marched. Zionist agitators shouted, “Go home terrorists!” and other racist remarks. But the students continued to march to their end location.

At City Hall Park, NYPD officers blocked off the park entrance. Protesters, outraged, chanted “NYPD KKK ICE! They’re all the same!” After the students tried to reclaim the street, NYPD officers barreled into the crowd and arrested over 20 people. The rally dispersed afterwards with students joining a rally against Eric Adams later that day.

#NewYorkNY #NY #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MahmoudKhalil #PoliticalRepression

On Saturday, March 8, Department of Homeland Security and ICE agents seized and detained a prominent Palestinian student leader at Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, despite his immigration status as a legal permanent resident. There are no grounds for the arrest, except that Khalil stood up for Palestine during the spring 2024 Columbia encampment for Gaza. Khalil is being illegally detained in the 2nd District in Louisiana.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the detention of Khalil and demands his release immediately. We will be joining protests across the U.S and call on everyone to join us!

We see this as a gross attack on free speech and the campus movement for Palestine. This comes hot on the heels of Trump cutting $400 million of federal funding to Columbia University after an investigation of so-called anti-Semitism – or what is in reality a hunt for the students who have organized major protests for Palestine.

Using the Office of Civil Rights and a new Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, Trump has his goons visiting schools around the country (ten so far)  to carry out similar investigations. School administrators have already carried out mass suspensions, expulsions and even forced deportations of pro-Palestine students in the past year. Trump wants to double down on this attitude and defund higher education at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

Khalil's arrest has outraged people all around the country. 14 members of Congress signed a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding his release, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportation process. Even if people disagree about events in the Middle East, it is clear that the right to discuss Palestine is being criminalized. But, it is only right and just for students to talk about the 45,000 deaths, the millions displaced, and the countless atrocities committed by Israel. These crimes are bankrolled by the U.S.

We will oppose Trump's agents and all complicit university administrators. We demand freedom for Khalil. We will raise hell until he is out. And we will not tolerate the arrest of any more Palestinians, pro-Palestine youth, or campus activists. Israel has no right to exist, and it exists on stolen land and borrowed time. More and more people realize this every day. And in the end, no Trump task force or ICE agent will be able to defeat the determination of the people to see a free Palestine.

#AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #MahmoudKhalil #Feature